Agape nears regular season sweep

Agape Christian School’s Haoyu Chen pulls up for a shot against a Saipan Community School defender during an earlier middle school game in the COPSSA league at the Agape court. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

Agape Christian School moved a win away from sweeping the regular season after earning two more victories in the middle school division of the 2015-2016 Coalition of Private School Sports Association Basketball League.

The Torchbearers bagged their eighth win last Tuesday following a 41-26 triumph over Mt. Carmel School at the Knights court in Chalan Kanoa, and then went up 9-0 yesterday after beating Seventh Day Adventist School, 39-27, in Chalan Kiya. Agape will go for a 10-game sweep next week when it plays Saipan International School in its last game in the double-round robin regular season.

Against Mt. Carmel, Agape played better in the second half to foil the host’s bid for an upset. The Knights kept pace with the league-leading team in the first quarter, forcing a standoff, 6-6, before taking a shaky 18-16 lead after the second canto.

However, Mt. Carmel’s hold to the top spot was just temporary as Haoyu Chen began to work for Agape in the third period and got help from his three teammates to turn the tables on the Knights, 27-22. Chen, who was scoreless in the first period, made 5 in the third and added 7 more in the final canto to lift Agape to its eighth win.

Chen outgunned the entire Knights in the final canto, as Mt. Carmel tallied only 4 points in the payoff period. Chen finished in double figures with his 16 points, while Dawei Cai added 10.

In yesterday’s game against SDA, Chen and Cai still anchored the Torchbearers’ offense, as they combined for 23 points. Chen registered 7 in the first period to give Agape a 13-6 advantage in the first quarter. He was without a point in the second frame, but Agape drew baskets from four different players to keep the upper hand at the break, 23-12.

A 2-point production from Agape off Lue Xiong’s basket brought the Torchbearers’ lead down to 6, 19-25, however Cai, who had only 2 points after three quarters, saved the best for last, knocking in 8 markers to keep their team’s streak. Chen chipped in 6 in the final canto to lead all scorers with his 13.

Tuesday Game
Agape 41—Chen 16, Cai 10, Xiong 6, Lin 4, Xu 3, Guintu 2.

MCS 26 — Galauy 10, Ony 6, Salilin 4, Apolonio 2, Evangelista 2, San Nicolas 2.

Scoring by quarters: 6-6, 16-18, 27-22, 41-26.