Dolphins top junior varsity regular season

  The Marinas High School junior Dolphins closed out the regular season of the Marianas Interscholastic Sports Organization boys junior varsity basketball with a pair of wins to finish the year with the best overall win-loss record.

MHS downed Kagman High School last Wednesday, 46-39, and then cut through Saipan International School, 65-28, on Thursday to finish the season with a 5-1 win-loss mark.

Meanwhile, the MHS varsity squad bested KHS, 95-71, on Wednesday to lock up second place heading into the postseason.

On Thursday, MHS’ Shane Deleon Guerrero and Michael Yap tallied six points apiece in the opening period to help give the junior Dolphins an early 18-14 edge.

SIS’ offense ran into a wall after the first quarter and was stuck with only three free throws in the second quarter as MHS pulled away, 31-17, at halftime.

A handful of Dolphins chipped in on the push.

MHS went straight for the heart after the break and catapulted ahead, 49-22, in the third quarter. MHS’ Lixing Dai buried a couple of early 3-pointers for 10 points in the breakout period.

MHS was way out in front by the start of the last frame and cruised to the easy win.

Dai led the junior Dolphins with 14 points, while SIS’ Chris Cepeda was held to just eight in the game.

On Wednesday, the MHS varsity fell behind, 14-18, in the opening 10 minutes as KHS’ Brandon Lampkin and Frank Mettao teamed up for 14 points. However, the Dolphins roared back in the second quarter and seized control, 44-28, at the half.

MHS contained the Ayuyus to 10 points in the second period and put up 30 on the other end. MHS’ Ralph Francisco and Herbert Maranan accounted for half of the damage.

KHS’ offense managed to restart its engine after the break, but could not make enough stops on defense to claw back into the game.

MHS preserved a stout 71-48 margin heading into the final period and never looked back.

MHS’ John Darag delivered 13 points in the third quarter and went on to lead four teammates in double figures with 25. Lampkin managed to match Darag’s effort on the short end.

In the junior varsity match last Wednesday, MHS shot out in front, 20-7, in the first quarter as six points by Ed Manalili was complimented by mixed support from Yap, Ivan Sanarez, and William Camacho.

But the junior Ayuyus grinded its way back into the match in the second quarter and trailed by only three possessions, 17-25, at intermission.

KHS’ Jesse Santos carried the torch with eight points in the second period.

Both teams traded baskets in the third quarter as the count shifted to 34-26 in favor of the junior Dolphins heading into crunch time. A clutch three-ball by MHS’ Michael Yap late in the third helped provide some breathing room before the start of the last quarter.

KHS did not go quietly as Santos fired home a string of nine points to start the fourth canto, but MHS’ Manalili delivered six big points late in the clutch to secure the win.

He finished with a dozen to lead his team, while KHS’ Santos scrambled for a game-high 21 in the hard-fought loss.

While the junior Dolphins finished with the league’s best record, SSHS was second at 4-2, followed by KHS (3-3), GCA (3-3), and SIS (1-5).

In related news, MISO’s 2012 varsity boys basketball double-elimination postseason will be held Friday and Saturday at the MHS Gym.

Top-ranked Saipan Southern High School (7-1) was awarded a first round bye, while MHS (6-2) was issued the second chair. Tinian High School was automatically granted the third seed, KHS (5-3) was positioned in fourth place, Grace Christian Academy (2-6) in fifth, and Mount Carmel School (0-8) sixth.

Friday’s opening rounds include five matches starting at 10am with the final pairing set to tip off by 5pm.

The action picks back up at 8:30am Saturday morning and concludes with the final series stating at 2:30pm. A second finals tiebreaker match may also take place, if needed.

THURSDAY

JUNIOR VARSITY

MHS 65 – Dai 14, Palacios 10, DL Guerrero 10, Yap 9, Sanarez 7, Lansang 6, Manalili 5, Aguilar 2, Floresca 2 .

SIS 28 – Cepeda 8, M Kim 6, Liu 5, J. Kim 4, Yoon 3, Y. Kim 2.

Scoring by quarters: 18-14, 31-17, 49-22, 65-28.

WEDNESDAY

VARSITY

MHS 95 – Darag 25, Caro 14, Dela Rosa 14, Maranan 13, Ogumoro 12, Francisco 7, Lacsina 3, Suarez 3, Lapuz 2, Moran 2 .

KHS 71 – Lampkin 25, Mettao 16, Jones 8, E Reyes 6, Malwelbug 4, Subalao 4, B Santos 4, Nerro 2, Taitano 2.

Scoring by quarters: 14-18, 44-28, 71-48, 95-71.

JUNIOR VARSITY

MHS 46 – Manalili 12, Yap 11, Camacho 4, Capuyon 4, Dai 4, Palacios 4, Sanarez 4, Aguilar 3.

KHS 39 – Je. Santos 21, Ada 8, Jo Santos 8, Halstead 1, Mafnas 1.

Scoring by quarters: 20-7, 25-17, 34-26, 46-39.