SSHS doubles KHS’ points in HS hoops

Two Saipan Southern High School girls varsity basketball players set up a tight screen against a drive made by a Kagman High School varsity player in the continuation of the 2022 IT&E Interscholastic Girls High School Basketball League last Wednesday at the Marianas High School Gymnasium. (LEIGH GASES)

Saipan Southern High School girls varsity basketball team doubled and added 1 point against Kagman High School to win, 30-16, last Wednesday in the continuation of the 2022 IT&E Interscholastic Girls High School Basketball League at the Marianas High School Gymnasium.

Once the shots started coming, they wouldn’t stop coming for the Lady Mantas as Yasmin Younis opened up the game with a 3-pointer and racked up 11 more points throughout the night.

At this point, the Ayuyus have already scored their team’s 16 points—11 of which were made by Elicia Cabrera. Teammate Irieyana Aughenbaugh scored a 3-pointer. while Kiana Camacho scored a field goal, which would eventually be their final score as they were stopped in their tracks by the Mantas’ defense. 

The Mantas’ Andrea Ramos scored 9, Lency Sagarino and Angel Calage scored 2 each, while Kathyryn Sablan scored 1. 

In the first game of the night, the Marianas High School Lady Dolphins went up against a formidable Grace Christian Academy Lady Eagles lineup and came out unscathed by defeating them, 45-27, and handing GCA’s first loss of the season.

Small in stature but big with her hops—Destiny Pangelinan put the word basket in basketball as she navigated through a much larger Lady Eagles defense, scoring 17 of her team’s points. 

Teammate Marielle Lopez was right in her heels as she shot 14 points, while Angellyn Roligat scored 5, Kalista Klaver scored 4, and Loralyle and Helenor Ogumoro scored 2 each.

Even as high-flying Lady Eagle Azriel Fatialofa, who is the leading scorer of the team, shot 11 points she couldn’t help GCA catch up with the Lady Dolphins as they swam through their defenses with relative ease.

Teammates Soleil Lamar scored 9, Katriel Saures scored 4, Vicky Wang scored 2, and Hannah Tenorio scored a free throw. 

NMI national team-studded Mount Carmel School lineup made it past Agape Christian School in a close 33-30 game, after coming back from a first half deficit of 12 points and then defeating them in OT.

Knights’ Mia Abuan and Valerie Estella shone through as they led the team with 9 points each, while Asa Backe shot 8, Chealzka Navarro made 4 points, and Kayannie Peter scored 3 points.

Eunice Xu bore the torch for Agape as she led them with 13 points, but their light wavered as the Knights pulled up from behind to tie up the second half, 29-29. 

In the end, teammate Susie Zheng scored 6, Lynn Zhao scored 4, Ruth Zhang, Esther Xu, and Sunny Wang scored 2 each, and Priscilla Cheng scored 1, as they fell to the Knights by just 3 points.

In other results from last Nov. 19, ACS defeated Tinian Jr. High School junior varsity team, 39-8; GCA defeated Tinian’s varsity team, 41-31; SSHS beat Tinian’s junior varsity team, 39-9; and Tinian’s varsity team won against MCS, 21-14.

In the Nov. 18 game, KHS won their first game of the season against Tinian’s varsity team, 38-14; MHS defeated Tinian’s junior varsity team, 27-5; and ACS defeated Tinian’s varsity team, 35-23.

The IT&E Interscholastic Girls High School Basketball League is being run by the Northern Mariana Islands Basketball Federation.

SSHS 30 – Younis 14, Ramos 11, Sagarino, Calage 2, Sablan 1.
KHS 16  – Cabrera 11, Aughenbaugh 3, Camacho 2.
Scoring by halves: 13-6, 30-16.
 
MHS 45 – Pangelinan 17, Lopez 15, Roligat 5, Klaver 4, L. Ogumoro 2, H. Ogumoro 2.
GCA 27 – Fatialofa 11, Lamar 9, Saures 4, Wang 2, Tenorio 1.
Scoring by halves: 19-12; 45-27.
 
MCS 33 – Abuan 9, Estella 9, Backe 8, Navarro 4, Peter 3.
ACS 30 – Eunice Xu 13, Zheng 6, Zhao 4, Zhang, Esther Xu, and Wang 2, Cheng 1.
Scoring by halves: 6-18, 29-29, 33-30.