Back-to-back for Lady Knights

Mt. Carmel School’s Maaya Sato, center is doubled team by Saipan International School’s Rei Sekiguchi, left, and Hannah Chan, during the second quarter of their title game in the girls middle school division of the COPSSA caging last Friday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

The Lady Knights successfully defended their title after outlasting Saipan International School in overtime, 24-22, during the girls middle school division finals last Friday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

Riley Anne Buenaventura canned the go-ahead basket in the closing seconds of the extension to give Mt. Carmel its second straight division championship. The Lady Knights topped the 2014-2015 season after beating Grace Christian Academy in the finals, 28-12.

While Mt. Carmel eased past the Lady Eagles last year, this season’s finale was a different story, as it took a Hail Mary from Buenaventura to propel Mt. Carmel past SIS. Buenaventura pulled the trigger near where Matthew Richarson hit the game-winning shot in the boys match. The ball then bounced off the back iron of the rim before rolling back to the basket.

The Geckos sued for time after Buenaventura’s crucial field goal and were left with 7 seconds to go for a game-tying shot or a triple to win the match outright. SIS went for the 2-pointer with Sally Li driving to the center, stopping at the free throw line, and popping for a jumper, which was too strong and just hit the board. There was a battle for the rebound after Li’s miss and time expired with neither team having possession, allowing the Lady Knights to escape with the close victory.

The girls’ finale was anybody’s ballgame, as momentum of the match shifted from one team to another.

Mt. Carmel took a 6-0 advantage off Princess Alcantara’s back-to-back banked triple and closed the first six minutes of the title match with a 6-4 lead. Rei Sekiguchi and Hannah Chan scored 2 points apiece for SIS in the opening canto.

The Lady Knights then kept the upper hand in the majority of the second canto despite adding only a point to its tally off Kaia Travilla’s split charity before the Lady Geckos made the move in the closing minute to steal the upper hand, 8-7. Li and Shea Hartig recorded the 4 points for SIS in the second frame.

Li knocked in two more baskets early in the third canto to hand SIS its biggest lead, 12-7. However, the Lady Knights countered with an 8-2 windup behind Buenaventura’s 4 points and 2 apiece from Travilla and Maaya Sato to regain the lead, 15-14, entering the final canto.

Mt. Carmel stretched the upper had to as much as 5, 19-14, but SIS also fought back with Li anchoring the recovery and scoring 5 straight markers to force a standoff, 19-19. Li made it 7 points in a row and gave the lead back to SIS, 21-19, down to 30 seconds in regulation.

Travilla then went for an undergoal stab to equalize, but missed. However, she got the offensive rebound and this time her seconds shot went in to tie the match anew, 21-all, 14 seconds left on the clock. Both teams had chances to win the game in regulation, but muffed the opportunity with Li faltering on a point-blanked shot and Katelyn Rabana overshooting her mark when she pulled up for a short jumper.

In overtime, Alcantara ended her long silence after making her first two shots, as she split her free throws to give Mt. Carmel a shaky 22-21 advantage. Mt. Carmel clung to the slim lead as both teams played helter-skelter basketball in the next three minutes and change of the extension period. A split from Li then forced another deadlock, which Buenaventura later broke when she pulled up for a prayer and got an answer with the lucky bounce.

MCS 24—Alcantara 8, Buenventura 6, Travilla 4, Bucalig 2, Sato 2, Rabana 2.

SIS 22—Li 14, Sekiguchi 4, Hartig 2, Chan 2.

Scoring by quarters: 6-4, 7-8, 15-14, 21-21, 24-22 (OT)