After three long years, the Aloha Maid Choppers managed to fend off a hard fighting Hanpa Cardinals, 84-79 Sunday in the ongoing 2014 season of the Filipino Basketball League (FBL) at the Palau National gym.

It was a long wait for the Choppers, sponsored by Shimbros International, but it was worth the wait as the saying goes. The Choppers opened the game with a 19-9 lead and closed the first half with a 30-27 advantage.

In the third canto, the Choppers managed to outrun the Cardinals again with a 21-17 run to stretch their lead anew at 51-44. But the Cardinals refused to go down without a fight as they came surging in the fourth and even cut down the lead at 80-78 with 44 seconds left in the game.

But the Choppers stood their ground as they withstand the Cardinals’ onslaught and took the win. Arvin Pramo once again led the Choppers in the scoring department as he finished the game with 26 points while John Ronald Grapa tallied his career high 14 markers as they now sport a 3-1 win-loss record.

On the other hand, Raymund Tan topscored for the Cardinals with 18 while Rustom Cabuso chipped in 13 as they suffered their third setback for a 1-3 card in the teams standings.

In other games, FR Spoilers drubbed the Jaguars,140-71; Western Union beat PNQ Crushers, 83-68; and Royal Cargo Rangers defeated the PECI Spartans, 96-40.

Games will resume on December 22 with Rams versus Ilocandia Bulls at 11 a.m. followed by the Jaguar-Royal Cargo Rangers tussle at 12:30 p.m. as the Aloha Maid Choppers will face the FR Spoilers at 2 p.m. while Surangel Stars will test the Liquid Skyy Dragons in the main game at 3:30 p.m.

Sponsors for this year’s season are Aqua Pure Water, ATT Karaoke and Bar, Blue Bay Petroleum, CTSI Palau, Hanpa Industrial Development Corporation, HBO, Kumangai Bakery, Midtown Gas Station, Mingles Tototo, MJ Trading, Palasia Hotel, Palau Pacific Resort, Palau Trading, Pinoy Express Remittance, Shimbros International, Surangel and Sons, The Taj Palau, Palau Curtain, Engr. Bobby Pineda and Western Caroline Trading Company (WCTC).

The Filipino Basketball League (FBL) is under the supervision of the Palau Basketball Federation (PBF). By Peter Erick L. Magbanua (Island Times News)