Kagman downs Mount Carmel in MISO opener

Kagman High School started its title defense in the girls varsity division of the 2008-2008 MISO Basketball League with a 52-42 victory over Mt. Carmel School Wednesday night at the Marianas High School Gymnasium.

The Lady Ayuyus shutdown the Lady Knights in the last 1:46 of the fourth quarter to prevail in the opening day of the varsity division caging.

The Lady Knights were behind by only six, 42-48, with less than two minutes remaining on the clock when the Lady Ayuyus’ struggling defense from the backcourt forces the latter to commit successive errors and take hurried shots.

A steal from a backcourt inbound play allowed Yvonne Bennett to score underneath and widen the gap, 50-42.

The ensuing play saw the Lady Knights having problems bringing down the ball to their frontcourt and when they did, they muffed layups.

Kagman also lost possessions in the succeeding plays, but the exchanges of miscues worked on the Lady Ayuyus’ advantage, as the clock continued to melt while two teams struggled for the loose balls.

Another undergoal stab from Merceda Mesa gave Kagman a double-digit lead, 52-42, with 14 seconds left on the clock.

The remaining time in the game saw the Knights missing two shots and Kagman failing to make a final attempt.

The Lady Ayuyus won last year’s varsity title after sweeping the season and beating Marianas High School in the finals.

Bennett, who was part of last season’s champion team paced the Lady Ayuyus with 12 points. Mesa chipped in 11, while Nikita Hofschneider added nine.

Kagman had seven players making it into the scoreboard, while Mt. Carmel had only four players scoring.

Nicole Lebria led all scorers with her 24 points, while Noelle Calvo contributed 14. Taylor and Megan had only two points apiece.

The girls and boys varsity caging will feature four teams with Saipan Southern High School joining the list.

The Manta Rays are this season’s defending champion after grabbing the title from the MHS Dolphins last year.

Games in both divisions will be played every Wednesday and Friday with the girls playing first at 4:30pm. The boys division match will be played 20 minutes after the girls game ends.

The regular season will have a double-round robin format with all four teams advancing to the crossover playoffs.
[B] KHS 52[/B]—Yvo. Bennett 12, Mesa 11, Hofschneider 9, Diaz 8, Mettao 5, Repeki 5, Mizutani 2.
[B] MCS 42[/B]—Lebria 24, Calvo 14, Megan 2, Taylor 2.
[B] Scoring by quarters:[/B] 8-5, 22-13, 35-28, 52-42.