Three-peat for SIS Lady Geckos

Saipan International School extended its reign in the girls varsity division of the Coalition of Private Schools Sports Association Basketball League after escaping with a thrilling 31-30 win over Grace Christian Academy in last Friday’s winner-take-all finals at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium of the TSL Sports Complex.

The championship was third in a row for the Lady Geckos, who leaned on Amy Hudkins’ 18 points and a last-second defensive stop from point guard Seoung Hyun Lee to slip past the Lady Eagles in a closely fought finale.

Hudkins made six of her 18 total points in the fourth quarter where SIS tasted its biggest lead, 28-22, after holding GCA scoreless in the first three minutes of the payoff canto. Hudkins used her height advantage to hit short jumpers and give the Lady Geckos the momentum in the final canto after taking a slim 24-24 lead after the third period.

The Lady Eagles then slowly worked their way back into the game and could have overtaken SIS if not for several misses from the free throw area. The Lady Eagles were awarded 10 charities in the fourth, but nailed only four with Leona Pangelinan hitting the last one to move GCA within three, 28-31, 1:34 left on the clock.

Teams traded misses in the ensuing play before Jazmin Rayphand hit a long jumper from the right corner off her own inbound play. Rayphand’s inbound pass in front of GCA’s bench was deflected by Lee and the former picked it up, dribbled toward the right baseline and pulled up for the shot.

The Lady Eagles bench thought Rayphand’s basket was a triple, but the referee said she stepped on the line, leaving SIS a precarious one-point lead, 31-30, 36.3 seconds remaining on the clock.

The Lady Geckos coach Rebeckah Iseman sued for time and when the game resumed, Lee was fouled, but missed both free throws. Kristen Pangelinan won the battle for the rebound, but could not control the ball, which eventually landed on Phalai Frink’s hands. Frink then fed Lee, who was cutting from the left wing and drove to the basket, but GCA’s Kelsey Mueller blocked the shot.

Mueller then sprinted to their frontcourt and then spotted Crysta Cristobal in the paint, however Lee was there to deflect the ball. Lee completed the big play and passed the ball to a sprinting Zoe Jewell, who had to chase the long pass and lost it. Fortunately for SIS, Mueller stepped in the play and dove for the ball that rolled out of the sideline. The Lady Geckos were given possession in the last 4.9 seconds and Jewell wisely hugged the ball as time expired.

Joining Jewell, Lee, and Hudkins on the champion team are Ashley Chun, Olivia Zhu, Kwang Ryung Kim, Hatsuko Bearden, Nicole Arenovski, Cathy Han, Esther Joo, and Sophia Tenorio. Last year’s MVP, Amber Roberts, was also on the SIS roster, but missed the finals due to a college orientation in the mainland.

With Roberts out, Hudkins stepped up early and scored six of their 10 points in the opening period. For GCA’s side, Mueller and Zena Demapan joined forces and the Eagles were behind by only one after the first eight minutes of play, 9-10.

It was a seesaw battle from thereon with GCA stealing the lead at the break, 17-16, with Demapan adding six more points in the second canto.

SIS then regained the driver’s seat after the third canto with Lee, Chun, and Hudkins scoring. The Lady Geckos had a lot of second, third, and even fourth chance points, as the triple tower of Jewell, Hudkins, and Chun collared several offensive rebounds. Then on offense, Hudkins lifted the ball up against her much smaller defenders and pulled up for a couple of short jumpers in the fourth period to keep SIS’ distance.
[B] SIS 31[/B]– Hudkins 18, Chun 6, Jewell 4, Frink 3.
[B] GCA 30[/B] – Demapan 16, Rayphand 5, Mueller 4, Cristobal 3, Pangelinan 2.
[B] Scoring by quarters: [/B]10-9, 16-17, 24-22, 31-30.