By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff

SAIPAN Southern High School will try to move a win away from claiming back-to-back championship trophies in the boys’ division of the MISA High School Basketball League when it meets Mt. Carmel School in the semis tonight at the Marianas High School Gym.
The Rays are highly favored to prevail against the Knights, as the defending champion swept the regular season with a 6-0 record. The Knights were winless entering the playoffs.
Southern and Mt. Carmel play in the second semis match at 6:30 p.m. The MHS Dolphins and Kagman High School square off for the first finals berth at 4:30 p.m.
The Rays won their games in the first round of the regular season easily, but their last three victories were hard earned, as Southern almost collapsed in the closing minutes before their veterans saved them.
But coach Joel Punzalan is not bothered at all by Southern’s close wins in the second round, as he believes these will help the Rays prepare for the playoffs.
“We need those kinds of game to test the character of the team. I believe that with these close victories, the boys were able to prove that they can deliver in crunch time,” Punzalan said in an earlier interview with the Variety.
“We’re definitely ready for the playoffs,” he added.
Leading Southern’s bid for a third straight stint to the finals are Preston Basa, Bill Babauta and Mike Eclevia, who were part of the team that dethroned the Knights in last year’s finals.
The Knights, who lost a lot of key players due to graduation this year, will lean on Stephen and Thomas Kim and Aitau Barcinas.
The other semis pairing is anybody’s game, as the Dolphins and Ayuyus split their matches in the regular season.