By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff

KAGMAN High School scored twin victories against Mt. Carmel School in the MISA High School Basketball League last Wednesday at the Marianas High School Gym.
The Lady Ayuyus started Kagman’s winning run with a 65-41 rout of Mt. Carmel in the first game.
CNMI Women’s National Team member Chelsea Ruluked led Kagman’s 24-point triumph firing 28 points.
The Lady Knights kept Kagman within striking distance only in the first half, as the former were down by only eight, 17-25, at halftime.
Ruluked and Glarisha Mobel then led Kagman’s breakaway in the third quarter with the former drilling 11 points and the latter adding eight to give the Lady Ayuyus a comfortable 51-25 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
The Lady Ayuyus limited Mt. Carmel to eight points in the third period and the Lady Knights never recovered from thereon dropping them to a 1-1 slate.
Mt. Carmel beat Saipan Southern in its debut game last Friday, 24-17.
Kagman’s boys’ team duplicated the Lady Ayuyus’ feat, but it was a hard-earned victory, as the Ayuyus needed to thwart the Knights’ late rally to pull off a 72-68 win.
After trailing by 10 at the end of the third period, 50-60. Mt. Carmel worked its way back into the game in the fourth period.
With Kagman’s starters resting at the start of the fourth quarter, The Knights behind Steven Kim moved within six, 54-60, with eight minutes left in the final canto.
Kagman’s starters returned to the match, but they could not prevent Mt. Carmel from inching closer, as the Knights cut the lead to three, 64-67, after Aitau Barcinas’ putback on a Thomas Kim miss, with 2:05 left on the clock.
After a Kagman miss, Thomas drove to the right baseline and moved Mt. Carmel within one, 66-67, with 1:50 remaining in the game.
The Ayuyus sued for time and missed on their offensive play. But they kept possession, as the ball hit a MCS player before going out to the sideline.
Kagman inbounded the ball with Don Teregeyo receiving the pass and drilling on big triple on top of the key to give the Ayuyus a breather, 70-67, with 1:40 left on the clock.
Mt. Carmel muffed its chance to move within one or tie the game when Barcinas’ drop pass to Rodney Salas on the baseline was too strong.
But Barcinas redeemed himself scoring a layup to threaten the Ayuyus anew, 68-70, with 55.7 seconds left in the match.
Manny Matagolai, who kept Kagman in the lead in the early part of the fourth period hitting five straight points, missed a jumper giving MCS a chance to tie the game or take the lead with 36.6 seconds left in the final canto.
Steven, instead of going for a high-percentage shot, opted to try a triple and missed.
The possession returned to Kagman, as Steven’s shot bounced off the back iron of the rim and a MCS player touched it last in a rebound play before the ball went out of bounds.
Keoni Chariton received the inbound pass and dribbled around defenders. Barcinas attempted to steal the ball, but Chariton was quick to move out of the defense forcing the former to grab the latter’s shirt.
Barcinas was called for an unsportsmanlike foul giving Chariton two free throws plus ball possession for Kagman with 19.4 seconds left on the clock.
Chariton made the first charity and missed the second to give Kagman a 71-68 lead.
Down by three with the 24-shot clock off, Mt. Carmel was pressed to steal the ball or give an early foul.
Neither thing happened, as the Knights seemed to have a mental lapse in the closing seconds of the match.
When they failed to steal the ball after Kagman made two passes, the Knights continued to chase Ayuyus players, but did not foul them until in the last 4.4 seconds of the game.
Steve Kim finally fouled Steve Tellei, who missed his first free throw, but hit the insurance basket when he buried the second charity to peg the final score.
Matagolai paced Kagman with 26 points and shot 4-of-6 from the three-point area. Tellei added 16 markers.
Steven led Mt. Carmel with 24 points, but the Knights still dropped to a 0-2 slate. MCS lost its debut match against defending champion Saipan Southern last Friday, 60-74.
Meanwhile, the SSHS Manta Rays gun for win No. 2 when they face the debuting Marianas High School today at 6:30 p.m.
The Lady Dolphins will begin their title defense against the Lady Rays at 4:30 p.m.
Scores:
Girls
KHS 65—Ruluked 28, Falig 11, Mobel 8, Repeki 8, Diaz 4, Bennett 4, Rafael 2.
MCS 41—Lebria 17, Calvo 10, Villacrusis 3, De Brum 3, Manalo 2, Castro 2.
Quarterscores: 12-11, 25-17, 51-25, 65-41
Boys
KHS 72—Matagolai 26, Tellei 16, Teregeyo 8, Chariton 7, J. Moses 6, Ada 5, Concepcion 2.
MCS 68—S. Kim 24, Aquino 12, Barcinas 12, T. Kim 9, Ro. Salas 6, Delos Santos 2, Sablan 2.
Quarterscores: 21-19, 39-26, 60-50, 72-68