Defending champs MHS starts hoops season strong

Defending champs Marianas High School Dolphins hit the ground running at the start of the 2023-2024 IT&E Interscholastic Boys High School Basketball League last Wednesday night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

The Dolphins set the tone for the season as they showcased their dominance on the court with a blowout 43-22 win over the Agape Christian School Torchbearers.

The Dolphin boys in blue, like water, doused the somewhat ignited fire of the Torchbearer boys, in red, with a huge double-digit deficit throughout the game. Agape tried a last-ditch effort to get back at least by 10 points.

It didn’t happen though as the Dolphins swam away to the basket and scored at every opportunity that they could, and at the end of the first half, they had a commanding 25-7 lead.

But despite the deficit, the Torchbearers displayed resilience and determination, attempting to close the gap with a flurry of fast-break plays and aggressive drives to the basket by Matthew Zhang and Steve Yang throughout the second half.

Come crunch time with just a few minutes left, fouls were made left and right, with Agape making multiple trips to the free throw line. However, they could not deliver from there and wasted free shots. The Dolphins’ lead just grew from there with more exceptional ball-handling and strategic plays.

ACS fought valiantly, but MHS remained composed and maintained their lead. Even at the bench’s turn on the court, MHS ensured they did not lose the lead their starting five put on the board.

Charlz Sanchez led the Dolphins with 9 markers, Marl Balignasay scored 7, and Andy Jiang, and Marc Tengco put up 6 each.

In other games, Kagman High School bested Saipan International School, 48-24, and Saipan Southern High School defeated Mount Carmel School, 40-30.

MHS 43 – Sanchez 9, Balignasay 7, Jiang 6, Tengco 6, Islam 4, Laquian 4, David 3, Suba 2, Escalada 2.

ACS 22 – Zhang 5, Wang 4, Cui 4, Yang 4, Ma 3, Song 2.

Scoring by halves: 25-7, 43-22.