League leader Surangel Kings and tournament darkhorse Ngermid Rivals barged their way into the Elite 8 after besting separate foes, Monday night in the ongoing IP&E Amateur Basketball League (ABL) at the Palau National gym.

Surangel Kings showed they are ready to take their claim as they powered themselves against Melngoes, 85-66. The Kings displayed their might in the opening quarter as they erected a 25-9 lead and then extended their domain as they closed the first half with a 44-33 advantage.

In the second half of play, the Kings met little resistance as they made their claim with six of their players finishing in double digits. Adam McQuistan led the scoring chores with 16 with teammates Joseph Osorio, Arnold Undecimo, Reid Una Rikrik, Armando Canseco and Ronald Magcalas finishing the game with 15, 14, 12, 11 and 10 markers, respectively.

On the other hand, Melngoes did not go down without a fight as three of their players led them in the scoring department. Perry Oiterong topscored for Melngoes with 20 as teammates Edward Baysa and Tutii Benjamin chipped in 14 and 10, in that order.

Meanwhile, Ngermid Rivals also earned a spot in the Elite 8 as they took down Raw Surf, 91-76. The Rivals displayed their determination to take it to the next level as they took a 52-35 lead in the first half of play.

From there, the Rivals stood their ground as they went on to win the game with King Ngiraboi finishing the game with 32 while Elway Ngiraboi and Ody Yalap normed 24 and 19, respectively.

Masao Umedip together with teammates Kent Moore and Weston clipped 17, 14 and 11 for Raw Surf in the losing end.

In other games, Hanpa Cardinals won over PCC Mesekiu, 88-81 to also clinch an Elite 8 spot.

There will be no games tonight as the repairs at the gym are still ongoing. League officials stated that the Elite 8 will start on March 3 with Meda Boyz versus Breakers at 6 p.m. while Surangel Kings will face the Ranchers at 7:30 p.m. March 4 will feature Hanpa Cardinals against Ngaraard Red Torch at 6 p.m. while Ngermid Rivals will take on Matakui in the night cap at 7:30 p.m.

Winners of the Elite 8 will advance to the Final Four which will be a best of three series. Winners of the Final Four will battle for the best of three championship crown while the losers will gun for third place honors.

Teams are reminded to use their uniform in every game. The jersey/t-shirts should match with the shorts and their numbers. Teams will be charged $25 for failure to comply and will be defaulted.

The tournament, which is supervised by the Palau Basketball Federation (PBF), is a tobacco, alcohol and drug free program. For more information call Topps at 488-4491.  By Peter Erick L. Magbanua (Island Times News)