Ayuyus outgun Geckos for seventh victory

Kagman High School’s Peter Santos takes off for a point-blank shot during their game against Saipan International School in the CCOPSA caging yesterday at the Geckos court in As Lito. (Roby N. Pamintuan

Kagman High School went all out in the second half en route to a 59-42 win over Saipan International School in the boys division game in the 2018-2019 Commonwealth Coalition of Private Schools Association Varsity Basketball League yesterday at the Geckos court in As Lito.

The Ayuyus exploded for 41 points in the third and fourth periods to foil the Geckos’ hopes for an upset. Before Kagman’s offensive outburst in the second half, SIS was able to keep up with the Ayuyus in the first two quarters, as the former led by only 7 at the break, 18-11.

However, as the game resumed, Kagman proved to be too much to handle for SIS, as the Ayuyus’ physicality and dominance in the paint effectively powered them past the Geckos. Dean Blake anchored the Ayuyus’ second half attack, scoring 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter. J.D. Magofna added 9 markers, while Jeremiah Cruz and Mustafa Augustino contributed 8 points apiece.

The Geckos drew contributions from the Sablan brothers, with Jason making two triples and netting 11 markers and J.P. bagging 9 and drilling one trey. Ron Muna provided 6 points off the bench, while combo guard Kuu Nishimura finished with 4.

With the win, Ayuyus now hold a 7-1 record and kept the No. 2 spot in the team standings behind Saipan Southern High School (7-0), while the Geckos absorbed their third loss in six games and backpedaled from fourth to fifth place.

Meanwhile, Saipan Southern dodged Grace Christian Academy’s upset axe after pulling off a 44-37 at the Eagles court in Navy Hill.

The Manta Rays hope to extend their winning run to eight today when they face the equally hot Ayuyus at the Koblerville Gymnasium at 4:30pm.

In other results, Agape Christian School 1 rebounded from a tough loss last Tuesday after downing Mount Carmel School 2 at the Koblerville Gymnasium, 82-46.

The Torchbearers upped their record to 4-3 and overtook the Geckos for the No. 4 spot. The No. 7 MCS 2 fell to a 2-6 card.

Over at the Agape court in Gualo Rai, MCS 1 whipped Agape 2, 81-39.

MCS 1 boosted its record to 6-2 for the No. 3 spot in the rankings, while Agape 2 is still winless in eight games.

For today’s matches, Agape and MCS will meet in the girls division, while the boys pairing will feature MCS 1 and Agape 1. Over at the Eagles court, GCA will face Agape 2, while MCS 2 and SIS will duel at the Koblerville Gymnasium.