By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff

MARIANAS Baptist Academy eked out a 57-53 victory against Mt. Carmel to claim the championship in the boys’ division of the Coalition of Private Schools high school basketball tournament last Friday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gym.
It was an upset win for the Stormz as they beat the pennant champion Knights, who were undefeated in nine games in the regular season.
MBA and MCS set up their title showdown after beating Saipan International School and Northern Marianas Academy, respectively.
Good free throw shooting in the last 34 seconds of the game lifted the Stormz past the Knights.
MBA was 13-for-25 from the 15-foot line, but went 3-for-4 in the last 34 seconds of the match to pull off a four-point win.
The Knights had limited stints at the free throw line, but with their fastbreak game going in the last two minutes of the game, they cut MBA’s seven-point lead to one, 53-54.
After a steal, Steven Kim sprinted to the frontcourt and nailed a layup moving the Knights within one, 53-54, with 1:08 remaining on the clock.
MBA called a time out to set up a play, but after only two touches on the ball, the Stormz lost possession as Charlie Jo’s pass to Dencio Manglona on the left side line near their bench was too high.
The MBA error boosted the Knights chances to steal the lead. Kim went for an isolation play and drove to the right baseline. But at the last minute, he decided to kick the ball. There was a mad scramble for the loose ball with the Stormz winning and drawing a foul from a Knights’ player.
MBA’s R. Park made his first free throw nailing a banked shot, but missed the second giving the Stormz only a two-point lead, 55-53, with 25.9 seconds remaining in the game.
After Park’s miss, the Knights grabbed the rebound with Kim sprinting anew to their frontcourt and drawing a blocking foul from Manglona on his way to the basket.
Kim muffed his first free throw, as the ball was way off to the right. He missed the second, too, with the ball hitting the back iron of the rim.
MBA won the battle for the rebound and Matthew Cabrera threw a pass to a sprinting Jo, who was fouled on his way to the basket, with 12.9 seconds left on the clock.
Jo, who before his two free throws was 7-for-11 from the 15-foot line, released his first shot with the ball rolling out of the rim first before coming back and finding its way through the net. The second free throw was no problem for Jo with the ball hitting nothing but the net securing the title for the Stormz.
Mt. Carmel failed to make a basket in the remaining seconds of the game capping another disappointing ending for them. The Knights also lost in last year’s championship bowing to the GCA Eagles, 52-57.