Geckos sweep Stormz

Saipan International School notched its first win in the boys varsity division of the 2009 Coalition of Private Schools on Saipan Basketball League after downing Marianas Baptist Academy, 62-43, Tuesday at the MBA court in Dandan.

Arnold Lee waxed hot from downtown to help the Geckos snap their two-game losing skid. Lee had five triples in the game and finished with 24 points.

Richard Wang added 15 points for SIS, which absorbed its first two losses at the hands of league-leading Mt. Carmel School and Grace Christian Academy.

MBA dropped to a 2-2 record. The Stormz bowed to the MCS Knights and won over Calvary Christian Academy twice.

The Geckos dictated the tempo of the game early with Lee knocking down two triples and Wang also making one shot from beyond the arc. Cooper Graf, Josh Borja and Lucas Knecht scored, too for SIS in the first quarter, giving the Geckos a 19-2 lead.

Charlie Jo canned MBA’s lone fieldgoal in the first period. Paul Carlo Samson had a chance to make it into the scoreboard in the opening canto, but muffed his two charities.

Samson finally found his mark in the second canto, nailing a triple and a layup, while Jo began piling up points, making eight markers. The Stormz outscored the Geckos in the second period, 14-8, to cut the lead to 11 at halftime, 16-27.

Lee was scoreless in the second quarter, but came out smoking, anew in the third period, drilling two more triples. He also performed well from the 15-foot line, going 4-for-6. Lee and Graf were the only two SIS players to score in the third period, which ended with the Geckos still leading by a big margin, 43-27.

After moving within 11 at halftime, the Stormz slowed down in the third, as Jo was held to a free throw and only Seong Bin Lee notched more than a fieldgoal in that canto.

In the fourth quarter, Jo, who finished with a team-high 20 points, single-handedly carried MBA in his shoulders, scoring nine more points. But his one-man show was not enough to bring the Stormz back into the game and steal the win.

Wang took over from Lee in the fourth period for SIS with the former nailing eight points. The Geckos also drew contributions from Borja and Sung Hae Cho in the payoff mark to end their two-game losing skid.

In the girls division, the Lady Geckos prevailed over MBA to gain their second win of the season.

SIS 62 – A. Lee 24, Wang 15, Graf 8, Cho 6, Knecht 6, Borja 4.

MBA 43 – Jo 20, Lee 6, Manglona 4, Sablan 4, Park 2, Torres 2, Samson 1.

Scoring by quarters: 19-2, 27-16, 43-27, 62-43.