Geckos stun Eagles in finals

Saipan International School claimed its first varsity title after pulling off a 41-31 upset over Grace Christian Academy in the finals of the boys high school division of the 2009 Coalition of Private Schools on Saipan Basketball League Tuesday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

After a neck-and-neck battle in the first half, the Geckos took control of the game in the closing minutes of the third period and hung in there until the final buzzer to gain their first championship since joining the league in early 2000.

It was a sorry loss for the Eagles, who defeated the Geckos twice in the regular season and took the pennant with an impressive 7-1 record. GCA had another bridesmaid finish this year after losing to Mt. Carmel School in last year’s finals, 54-64.

SIS was ranked third in the regular season with its 4-4 record and had to win two games in the playoffs to make it to the finals. The Geckos first beat MBA, 59-39, and stunned deposed champions MCS Knights in the semis, 58-52, to set a title duel with the heavily favored Eagles.

In the finals, GCA started strong behind Kevin De Leon, Max Camacho, and sibling Dae Won and Dae Min Jeon, who gave the Eagles a 15-10 lead.

SIS tied the game at halftime, 19-all, as it held GCA to four points in the second period. The Geckos grabbed the lead at the end of the third period, 27-25, with Arnold Lee making a triple and Yi Shang Wang and Lucas Knecht adding two points apiece.

SIS had their biggest lead at 10 points, 41-31, and the score remained unchanged, as GCA failed to score in the last three minutes of the fourth quarter.

The Eagles started to fall apart in the closing minutes of the game, committing several errors and missing easy shots. Dae Won Jeon, who dominated the league in the regular season, had a nightmare against the clamping defense of SIS. Knecht, Miguel Brostrom, and Wang alternately hounded Dae Won Jeon, who had a hard earned 10 points, muffed numerous point-blanked shots, and missed all his six free throws.

In contrast, SIS was steady in the stretch with Lee nailing his third triple of the game and Brostrom and Wang canning free throws to secure the victory.

SIS 41 – A. Lee 16, Wang 13, Knecht 6, Borja 4, Brostrom 2, H. Lee 1.

GCA 31 – De Leon 10, D.W. Jeon 10, Camacho 6, D.M. Jeon 5, Hong 2.

Scoring by quarters: 10-15, 19-19, 27-25, 41-31.