Eagles, Lady Geckos rule PSBL

The Grace Christian Academy Eagles and Saipan International School Lady Geckos were crowned champions of the Private School Basketball League after punching in impressive performances in their respective title bouts Friday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

The Eagles closed the night with a bang as the team withstood a furious charge by the Mt. Carmel School Knights to win the coveted crown, 57-52.

The Eagles were given a run for their money, but came up with big buckets in the waning minutes to survive.

The game got off to a slow start as both teams struggled to put the rock through the hoop. The Knights were able to take the early advantage, 6-5, and the lead remained slim until the sound of the halftime buzzer.

Juan Diaz came off the bench to keep the Knights ahead in the second period as he broke away from the Eagles defense and score nine points, but James Camacho and Harris Enrique prevented the Eagles from falling far behind as the two combined for 12 points. At the break, the Knights led by a field goal, 21-19.

The Eagles regained the lead with 4:20 left in the third period, 28-27. Known for his swimming skills, Juan Camacho made a name for himself on the hard court as the Eagles center, who had been dominating the boards, scored consecutive baskets. Joe Salas and James Camacho then attacked the lane for a 34-28 GCA lead, and after a Mt. Carmel bucket, James Camacho hit one of two free throws to lift GCA to a six-point spread with one period remaining.

Down but not out, the Knights put on a furious charge at the start of the fourth, going on a 10-4 run in the first five minutes capped by a basket by Carlo Manglona to knot the score at 41-41.

The Eagles responded quickly with James Camacho and Salas hitting for a 45-41 lead, but Ki Tae Kim nailed a big triple to bring the Knights back to within a point, 44-45.

The game was tied at 48-48 when the Eagles scored five straight points, with James Camacho putting the team ahead, 53-48, on another baseline drive with 1:23 remaining in regulation.

The two teams took turns scoring the next four buckets and Guy Blanco came up with two big steals in the dying seconds to push the Eagles to victory.

James Camacho led GCA with 21 points, while Juan Camacho finished with 12 points.

Diaz paced the Knights with 14 points, while Kim pumped in 11 points.

Earlier, the Lady Geckos had their way against the Lady Knights en route to a 41-21 victory.

The Lady Geckos got off to a hot start and never looked back. D.B. Choi scored six points, while Lena Guzman and Melissa Halaby combined for another six for the Lady Geckos in the opening period for a 12-5 lead.

The Lady Knights were able to slow the Geckos down a bit in the second, but saw their deficit grow as Halaby pumped in another four points to spearhead an 8-6 run for a 20-11 halftime lead.

Guzman and Halaby continued to show their stuff in the third and by the time the period came to a close, the Lady Geckos were comfortably ahead, 32-15.

It was cruise control from there as Halaby closed her day with seven points in the last quarter, which SIS controlled, 9-6.

Halaby finished with a game-high 16 points, while Noelle Calvo led the Lady Knights with 10 points.

Girls Championship
SIS 41 – Halaby 16, Guzman 8, Choi 6, M. Smith 6, T. Smith 5.
MCS 21 – Calvo 10, Takai 6, DeBrum 5.
Scoring by quarters: 12-8, 20-11, 32-15, 41-21.

Boys Championship
GCA 57 – Ja. Camacho 21, Ju. Camacho 13, Enrique 9, Salas 8, Mosley 4, Blanco 2.
MCS 52 – Diaz 14, K. Kim 11, Aquino 8, T. Kim 7, White 4, Salas 4.
Scoring by quarters: 5-6, 19-21, 37-31, 57-52.