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Whispering Palms keeps winning run
Whispering Palms bagged its sixth championship trophy this school year after ruling the middle school division of the 2013-2014 Coalition of Private School Sports Association Girls Basketball League.
Whispering Palms secured the middle school caging crown after beating Mount Carmel School, 16-11, in the finals last Tuesday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium. The champion squad is composed of Guinevere Borja, Amber Montenegro, Darrel Doyle, Sally Lai, Shea Bashman, Chloe Albuen-Kosack, Bernadette Horey, Jin Ju Thompson, Rachel Kwon, and Gilliam Villagomez. Mark Epley coached the Terns.
Villagomez scored 4 points in the title win and was eventually named league MVP, while Kwon was selected to the All-League Team. Lai top-scored for Whispering Palms with her 6 markers, while Montenegro and Borja contributed 4 and 2, respectively.
The COPPSA middle school trophy added to Whispering Palms’ growing trophy collection from various school sports competitions. Earlier this season, the Navy Hill-based school won championship trophies in the middle school girls’ volleyball, middle school co-ed volleyball, and the NMIFA Youth U12 Football League (both girls and boys), according to principal Rob Epley.
“As you enter the office at Whispering Palms School on Navy Hill, the first thing you might notice is the large amount of trophies up in the trophy case. You may wonder how a school of only 64 students can win so many trophies,” Rob Epley said in an email to Saipan Tribune.
Different coaches handled Whispering Palms’ teams with Kristy Beling and Sheila Trianni joining Mark Epley on the list and though these three did a great job during the tournaments, Rob Epley said the coaches pointed to no less than CNMI Sports Hall of Famer Jeff Race as the key to the school’s athletic success.
“Out on the field or on the basketball court, you’ll find the school’s P.E. teacher, coach Jeff. Mark Epley, Kristy Beling, and Sheila Trianni have coached the teams from Whispering Palms at the events this school year, but they’ll all tell you that the key to the school’s success is the great coaching they get every week from the one-and-only coach Jeff,” Rob Epley said.
“Coach Jeff’s classes are different from other P.E. classes at most schools. Jeff doesn’t have the students just play different sports, he teaches them how to play the sports. During volleyball, basketball, soccer, or baseball season, Jeff teaches individual skills before the students get to play games. Even during the games coach Jeff will stop the action if there is a teachable moment. Coach Jeff also prepares the students every year for the All Schools swim meet and track meet,” the Whispering Palms coach added.
