Knights, Lady Dolphins reign supreme

The Mt. Carmel School Knights and Marianas High School Lady Dolphins entered the MHS Gymnasium as underdogs yesterday, but went home newly minted champions as they stunned a jam-packed crowd by claiming the coveted titles in the MISA High School Basketball League.

The Knights achieved sweet redemption for their only two losses of the season, edging powerhouse Saipan Southern High School Manta Rays 115-110 in a down-the-wire thriller that lived up to everyone’s expectations.

The loss for the Mantas was their first the entire season after winning all six games in the regular season and recording a blowout win in the semifinals.

The game was tight in the early goings, with the Knights posting only a 24-23 lead after the first period.

The Knights, however, pulled the right strings in the second stanza and outscored their opponents, 29-23, to grab a five-point lead at the break, 51-46.

The Knights continued to fire on all cylinders and ballooned their lead to a comfortable 18 points, 69-51, after waxing hot for an 18-5 run highlighted by triples from brothers Dan and Aitau Barcinas.

Fueled by their roaring fans, the Mantas staged a comeback and went on a run of their own, quickly cutting the deficit to eights points, 66-74, on a bucket by Bill Babauta.

The Knights, however, recovered and headed into the final 10 minutes with an 85-71 spread.

Determined to keep a spotless record, the Mantas put up a furious charge, doing everything they can to inch back into the game. Rowell Aranda and Adrian Echon spearheaded an attack that brought the Mantas to within two points, 91-93 with 5:40 remaining.

The SSHS crowd went nuts as Aranda knotted the score at 94-apiece after scoring a layup, drawing the foul, and nailing the free throw with 5:29 left.

A triple and layup by Steven Kim gave the Knights some breathing room, 99-96, but the Mantas refused to give in and leaned on the shoulders of Aranda to take a taste of the lead, 100-99.

Up 107-106 with a little over a minute left, Aitau Barcinas swooshed a bomb from downtown to give the Knights a 110-106 lead.

The Mantas cut the lead to two points, 110-112, but free throws by Dan Barcinas and Robert Naraja sealed the deal and the upset.

Dan Barcinas finished with 32 points to lead the Knights and earned the most valuable player award, while Kim and Jeff Deleon Guerrero pumped in 26 and 20 points. Aitau Barcinas and Kovin Ogumoro chipped in with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

Aranda did all he could for his team, going off for a whopping 43 points, while Echon and Tyrone Palacios added 17 points apiece. Julian Ranas was good for 12 points.

Earlier, the third-seeded Lady Dolphins hustled from beginning to end and won their second title in three years with a 51-39 victory over No. 1 seed SSHS in the girls division.

Werlly Quitugua, MHS’ leading scorer for the past three years, bagged her second MVP trophy with a 21-point performance, while forward Emy Oiterong worked for 10 points to lead the Dolphins, who led from beginning to end.

The Mantas, playing without center Elsie Accad, who left for Washington, D.C. over the weekend, struggled early and trailed 5-16 after the first period. They recovered and crept to within 10 points, 28-38, after three periods, but the Lady Dolphins prevented them from creeping closer and brought the crown back to their school with the 12-point victory margin.

MHS played superb defense throughout the match, and the SSHS cagebelles were taken out of their rhythm, forcing shots on many occasions.

Niki Rios led the Mantas with 17 points, while Henny Elayda added 12 points.

GIRLS

MHS 51-Quitugua 21, Oiterong 10, Yang 8, Agbanlog 6, J. Jang 6.

SSHS 39-Rios 17, Elayda 12, Coleman 5, Eva 3, Omar 2.

Scoring by quarters: 16-5, 30-17, 38-28, 51-39.

Referees: Arnold Mesa and Noel Delos Santos.

BOYS

MCS 115-D. Barcinas 32, Kim 26, Deleon Guerrero 20, A. Barcinas 14, Ogumoro 13, Naraja 8, Tenorio 4.

SSHS 110-Aranda 43, Echon 17, T. Palacios 17, Ranas 12, Lizama 7, B. Babauta 7, Bahillo 4, L. Babauta 2, Eclevia 1.

Scoring by quarters: 24-23, 51-46, 85-71, 115-110.

Referees: Ricky Itaas and Jess Pacheco.