By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff

MOUNT Carmel School and Marianas High School split their matches in the MISA High School Basketball Leagues last Wednesday at the MHS Gym.
The MCS Lady Knights pulled off a 59-41 upset over defending champions the MHS Lady Dolphins in the first game.
The Mt. Carmel cagebelles held the Lady Dolphins to only two points in the first quarter en route to an easy victory.
The win improved MCS’s record to 2-1. Its only loss was at the hands of Kagman High School.
The Lady Dolphins dropped to a 1-1 record and failed to notch back-to-back wins after tripping Saipan Southern High School in their debut, as the hosts had problems in their offense.
MHS had only four players scoring with Laliane Pagarao firing 22 points. Riza Tacliad had eight, while Rochelle Ermitanio nailed only six after scoring 14 against the Lady Rays in their debut game. Keisha Paez chipped in four.
Nicole Lebria topscored for the Lady Knights with 14 points, while five other MCS players scored seven or more points.
Felicia De Brum and Jessica Takai contributed nine points each, Rebecca Manalo and Mary Chris Ta nailed eight apiece and Noelle Calvo added seven.
With the Lady Dolphins struggling on offense, MCS controlled the first quarter, 10-2.
The Lady Knights increased the lead to 11 at halftime, 24-13, despite Pagarao hitting her marks in the second quarter.
Pagarao had six points in the second period, but only two other MHS players scored for the hosts in that canto.
In contrast, Lebria, who also had six points in the second quarter, drew support from De Brum, Ta, Calvo and Channelle Manglona.
Pagarao and Lebria had a shootout in the third quarter with the former nailing 10 points and the latter hitting seven.
But again, Pagarao almost single-handedly carried the Lady Dolphins’ fight in the third quarter, while other MCS players stepped up to keep the Lady Knights in the lead, 37-25.
The Lady Dolphins never recovered from thereon.
In the boys’ division, the Dolphins bounced back from their debut loss with a 61-58 victory over the Knights.
The Knights absorbed their third straight loss in as many games giving the Chalan Kanoa-based team its worst start in the league since 2004.
Mt. Carmel lost most of its starters to graduation and is parading an entirely different lineup.
Aside from missing veteran players, poor free-throw shooting sealed the doom of the Knights, who shot 4-of-10 from the 15-foot line in the final canto, and 6-of-20 overall.
The Dolphins did a decent job from the charity line with their 14-of-21 shooting. MHS nailed four of its six free throws in the fourth quarter to prevent a Mt. Carmel comeback.
Jayvan Tarkong paced MHS with 19 points, while Jericho Cruz chipped in 16.
Scores:
Girls
MCS 59—Lebria 14, De Brum 9, Takai 9, Manalo 8, Ta 8, Calvo 7, Castro 2, Manglona 1.
MHS 41—Pagarao 22, Tacliad 8, Ermitanio 6, Paez 4.
Quarterscores: 10-2, 24-13, 37-25, 59-41
Boys
MHS 61—Tarkong 19, Cruz 16, Tumaquip 10, Tudela 8, Aldan 5, De Vero 3, Brant 2.
MCS 58—S. Kim 16, Delos Sanros 14, Barcinas 12, Ro. Salas 7, T. Kim 5, Aquino 4.
Quarterscores: 9-11, 27-30, 44-43, 61-58