ACS, MCS lead in HS varsity caging start

Agape Christian School’s Caleb Cui goes for the rebound against Saipan International School in the first varsity match of the season in the 2022-2023 IT&E Interscholastic Boys High School Basketball League last Wednesday at the Marianas High School Gymnasium. (LEIGH GASES )

The Agape Christian School Torchbearers and the Mount Carmel School Knights lead the 2022-2023 IT&E Interscholastic Boys High School Basketball League, as they pummeled through their foes for their first win of the season on Wednesday at the Marianas High School Gymnasium.

The Torchbearers came scorching through the court as they defeated Saipan International School, 42-11, while the Knights held down their fort against Grace Christian Academy, 49-18.

The young SIS Geckos lineup were overpowered by the height and skill of the Torchbearers, who reduced them to just 4 points in the second half of the game. 

Caleb Cui, who led the Torchbearers, showed off his speedy footwork and pinpoint accuracy as he banked 18 of the team’s 48 points. 

On the defensive, steals and blocks from the speedy hands of the Torchbearers made the Geckos handle on the ball almost non-existent; and as bucket after bucket were made, a chance for a comeback grew slimmer and slimmer.

SIS’ Casey Chambers, Omari Joab, Peter White, and Yunwoo Nam, scored their team’s 11 points, while ACS’ Allen Luo, Michael Ma, Bill Li, Stephen Chen, Aaron Wang, and Abraham Zhu contributed the other 30 points.

Right after, the Knights and Eagles duked it out, with the former emerging victorious as Lance Lerio led the barrage with 13 points.

The Eagles’ Ryan Daproza tried to single-handedly bring his team to victory with 10 of their 18 points, but was drowned out by the constant swishing from the Knights’ offense.

Daproza’s teammates Julian Taitano, Eric Lai, and Ayden Yumul all lent a hand but it was not enough to catch up.

Meanwhile, the Knights’ Jay Francis Pineda’s 8 points, Leopoldo Naraja and Derek Sasamoto’s 7 each, and Michael Mercado’s additional 6, pulled them further away from the reaching talons of the Eagles. 

In the junior varsity games of the night, the Marianas High School junior varsity beat MCS JV, 39-12; and the Saipan Southern High School JV drowned out the MHS JV-2 team, 28-11.

ACS 42 – Cui 18, Li 9, Luo 6, Chen 3, Ma, Zheng, and Zhu 2.
SIS 11 – Joab 4, Chambers 3, White 2, Nam 2.
Scoring by halves: 20, 7; 42, 11.

MCS 49 – Lerio 13, Pineda 8, Naraja 7, Sasamoto 7, Mercado 6, San Nicolas, Borja, Han, and Xue 2.
GCA 18 – Daproza 10, Taitano 4, Lai and Yumul 2.
Scoring by halves: 20-8; 20-10.