Junior Marianas’ Yasmeen Younis protects the ball as Pohnpei’s Vanessa Helgenberger closes in during a goodwill game Tuesday at the Ada gym.
Junior Marianas’ Ali Ortiz makes contact with a Pohnpei defender as he attempts to drive toward the hoop during a goodwill game Tuesday at the Ada gym.
POHNPEI is up 3-1 against the NMI in their goodwill basketball games after the FSM state’s men’s and women’s teams triumphed over their Junior Marianas counterparts on Tuesday at the Ada gym.
It was an exciting match in the women’s division as the Jr. Marianas team nearly pulled a late-game comeback, but Pohnpei managed to hold onto the lead with clutch finishes to notch victory, 56-47.
Pohnpei established control early as teamwork proved to be their biggest strength. Ball movement, along with the ability to finish at the rim led to easy buckets with Sylvania Seneres-Amor and Chentel Ekiek at the frontline dropping six points each.
Jr. Marianas had a different approach with Destiny Pangelinan scoring 11 points to stay within reach, 14-18.
Although the Jr. Marianas ladies started to move the ball more and create more shot opportunities, Pohnpei continued to capitalize off successful defensive stops which led to easy buckets on the other end as Kaimi Youngstrom, Charlotte Swingly and Myra Joakim each delivered four points to give their team an eight-point lead by the end of the third quarter.
Despite playing catch up throughout the entire game, Jr. Marianas remained persistent in the fourth and final period.
Pangelinan continued to slice her way through with back-to-back finishes while Yasmeen Younis knocked down two crucial three-pointers to cut the deficit to just two points with under three minutes left on the clock.
Unfortunately, Pangelinan was forced to sit for the remainder of the game due to fatigue and cramps. Pohnpei’s Seneres-Amor, for her part, drained two triples while the rest of her teammates provided adequate support to secure the win, 56-47.
Men’s division
Pohnpei’s men, who dominated the Ol’Aces, 105-79, on Monday, showcased yet another strong performance, this time trouncing Jr. Marianas, 99-55.
During the first six minutes of the opening quarter, Jr. Marianas could not find the bottom of the net while Pohnpei thrived and pushed an 11-0 run.
Jr. Marianas Gino Asauo later drained two triples to stay within reach.
In the second canto, Jr. Marianas’ Lance Lerio helped cut the lead to nine points, 31-42, but Pohnpei returned from the halftime hungrier than ever. Their offensive flow could not be disrupted, resulting in a 30-point output highlighted by Oppa Miingi who scored 12 points as Pohnpei regained a double-digit advantage, 75-49.
The lead only grew larger in the fourth period as Jr. Marianas were held to just six points. Pohnpei triumphed, 99-55.
So far, the women of Ol’Ace are the only NMI team that has won against Pohnpei.
