Kagman undefeated in U13 village hoops

A Kagman player tests the defense of a Finasisu player in their U13 boys game of the 2022 Marianas Village Pride Basketball League last Saturday at the Gillette Multi-Purpose Gymnasium in Gualo Rai. (MARK RABAGO)

Kagman notched its second win in as many outings after beating debuting Finasisu, 26-19, in the U13 boys division of the 2022 Marianas Village Pride Basketball League last Saturday at the Gillette Multi-Purpose Gymnasium in Gualo Rai.

Both teams fought nearly to a standstill in the first 20 minutes of the ballgame, 13-11, but Kagman lived up to their A-Y-U-Y-U spirit in the final 20 minutes to eke out the 7-point victory.

Ione Camacho paced Kagman with 9 points with Dany Defang tossing in 6 points for support. Finasisu was led by the 5 points of Jhun Pangelinan with three of his teammates adding 4 points apiece.

In the second game, Dandan also notched its second straight victory after breaking free from a tight contest against San Jose in the second half, 35-22, in the women’s division. 

Both teams were evenly matched in the opening half with Dandan only getting away with a 9-7 advantage at the break.

Kagman improved to 2-0 while dealing Finasisu a loss in its first game in the U13 boys division of the 2022 Marianas Village Pride Basketball League last Saturday at the Gillette Multi-Purpose Gymnasium in Gualo Rai. (MARK RABAGO)

Veteran Connie Camacho, however, caught fire in the second half, unloading all her game-high 8 points in the final 20 minutes of action to lift Dandan to the win.

Aside from Camacho’s scoring prowess, Dandan also got 6 points and 5 points from Raenna Ramarui and Katie Camacho, respectively.

San Jose, which dropped to an even 1-1 record, was led by the 9 points of Irish Pagarao and the 8 points of Mary Kay Alferos.

Tanapag, meanwhile, ran roughshod over a hapless San Vicente crew, 96-17, to also remain unscathed at 2-0 in the U18 boys division.

It was all over but the shouting as Tanapag immediately channeled their inner warrior spirit in the game’s first few minutes.

With all of the players from Tanapag clicking on all cylinders, San Vicente didn’t have a reply and were down 10-55 at halftime.

It would go from bad to worse for the Sunrisers in the second half, as they would only add 7 more points to their total while surrendering 41 more points to Tanapag in the blowout game. 

Merrick Toves scored 16 points in the rout with Johnkae Raquepo, Nobet Hocog, Frankie Satur, and Gino Asauo chipping in 12 markers apiece.

Nolan Cultura was the highpoint man for San Vicente with 6 points, while Franklin Errich and Palino Hilario added 3 points apiece for the 0-2 team.

The Northern Mariana Islands Basketball Federation coordinates the 2022 Marianas Village Pride Basketball League with help from the Tan Siu Lin Foundation.

First Game
Kagman 25 – Camacho 9, Defang 6, Matsumoto 4, Tenorio 3, Enriquez 2, Pineda 1, Pamgelinan 1.
Finasisu 19 – Pangelinan 5, Duenas 4, Teregeyo 4, Saralu 4, John 2.
Scoring by halves: 13-11, 26-19.

Second Game
Dandan 35 – C. Camacho 8, Ramarui 6, Deleon Guerrero 5, K. Camacho 4, Rangamar 4, Labausa 2.
San Jose 22 – Pagarao 8, Alferos 8, Lee 2, Saablan, Pablo 1.
Scoring by halves: 9-7, 35-22.

Third Game
Tanapag 96 – Toves 16, Raquepo 12, Hocog 12, Satur 12, G. Asauo 12, H. Asauo 10, Guilas 6, Abendan 6, Terlaje 6, Enriquez 6, Hirochi 2.
San Vicente 17 – Cultura 6, Hilario 3, Errich 3, Liv 2, Imperial 2, Aquino 1.
Scoring by halves: 55-10, 96-17.