MISA, Jam Attack, Ocean Swim are week’s spotlight

The Mt. Carmel School Knights and Marianas High School Lady Dolphins stole the show in basketball, Guam teams swept the annual Jam Attack Volleyball Tournament, and the Saipan Swim Club dominated and took top honors in the 27th Annual Saipan Ocean Swim.

The Knights and Lady Dolphins entered as underdogs in their title bouts in the recent Marianas Interscholastic Sports Association High School Basketball League and left as champions.

Ranked No. 2 after the regular season, the Knights took the front runner role for most parts of their match against the high-scoring and No. 1 seed Saipan Southern High School Manta Rays and held on in the end behind clutch shots to stun all in attendance with a 115-110 victory.

The Knights erased any negative memory of their two losses to the Mantas in the regular season, shining when it counted the most.

Guard Dan Barcinas was named as MVP for the season, and along with teammates Kovin Ogumoro and Jeff Deleon Guerrero, was selected into the MISA All Stars Team.

The All Stars, announced shortly after the Knights’ victory, also included Mario Patrinus of Kagman High School, Rowell Aranda and Adrian Echon of SSHS, and Christian Dela Cruz of MHS.

For their part, the third-seeded Lady Dolphins leaned on the scoring shoulders of MVP Werlly Quitugua to upset No. 1 SSHS, 51-39.

Quitugua and company entered with their game faces on, played their best from start to finish, and under guidance of coach John Raulerson, won their second title in three years.

Aside from the MVP honors, Quitugua , teammates Emy Oiterong and Shaunna Yang, Mallory Conner of KHS, Henny Elayda and Niki Rios of SSHS, and Stephanie Arnold of Grace Christian Academy were named to the girls All Star Team.

Also finding success were Haggan and the Bombers as both teams from Guam won their divisions in the 15th Annual Jam Attack.

Haggan emerged victorious after beating Isa, another team from Guam in the finals while the Bombers edged No Fear in a down-the-wire thriller.

Kensuke Kimura, Ilia Corella, Cooper Graf, and Nina Mosley also posted the fastest times in the various open water courses to reign supreme in the Saipan Ocean Swim.

Meanwhile, the past weekend featured heated baseball action as teams from the Major, Junior, Senior, and Big leagues took the fields by storm in the ongoing Saipan Little League season.

Athletes from Saipan and Tinian also gathered at the Oleai Sports Complex track and field facility Saturday, competing in the All Comers Meet, which served as a qualifier for the Mini South Pacific Games in Palau this summer.