Knights demolish Torchbearers

Mt. Carmel School 1’s Michael Johnson towers above Agape Christian School 2 players for an easy shot during their game in the CCOPSA caging yesterday at the Koblerville Gymnasium. (Roby N. Pamintuan)

Mount Carmel School 1 reached the century mark en route to a 100-21 trashing of Agape Christian School 2 in the boys division game in the 2018-2019 Commonwealth Coalition of Private Schools Association Varsity Basketball League yesterday at Koblerville Gymnasium.

Matthew Ong scored the basket that pegged the Knights’ output at 100 in the final minute of the game. He hit a contested runner in the lane to give MCS 1 a 2-0 record and a share of the lead with Saipan Southern High School. The Mt. Carmel junior ended the game with 14 markers, including 10 in the fourth quarter. Ong served as the Knights’ sixth man in their 2-0 start and has excelled in his role, providing their team with a spark off the bench with his scoring abilities.

Duplicating Ong’s impressive fourth-quarter game was Matthew Richardson, who scored 10 of his 13 points in the closing frame to help the Knights wallop Agape.

“I didn’t really expect us to hit the 100 mark, but as long as we got the win that’s all that matters. No matter what the score is, that’s all that matters.” Ong said. “We got this [accomplishment] as a team.”

Mt. Carmel 1 set up the rout right at the opening quarter, as their stingy defense forced the Torchbearers to have shaky handles, which then led to multiple fastbreak opportunities for Knights guards Chioni Dela Cruz and Keith Santos. Dela Cruz scored 17 points for the second straight game, while Santos added 14 markers. Team captain Angelo Factor had little contribution on offense but led by example in the first quarter with his hustle on the defensive end and playmaking skills.

With the Knights in full control after the first quarter, 25-15, coach Francis San Nicholas queued up his bench mob to take over and they delivered. Aven Evangelista scored 7 of his 9 points in the second canto, while Min Soo Park and Eric Kiser chipped in 5 and 3 markers, respectively, before the halftime buzzer.

Then in the second half, starting center Michael Johnson had a feast in the paint and scored 11 third-quarter points. Besides tying Dela Cruz’s game-high 17 points, Johnson also anchored the Knights’ interior defense with timely swats and solid positioning.

With their 2-0 record, Factor attributed much of their team’s success in the early stages of the season to an improved training regiment. However, they still have to work on improving their games.

“This year, we practiced way better than last. We got some good players, young ballers— a young generation,” Factor, “We still have a lot of time to make improvements.”

Meanwhile, four games will be played today, as the high school league continues its preliminary round. In the boys division, MCS 1 will visit Kagman High School, while MCS 2 will host ACS 2. Over at Grace Christian Academy’s court, the host’s boys team will duel ACS 1, while the girls squads will collide in the 4:30pm tiff.