MARIANAS High School 1 Dolphins are numero uno in the TakeCare Interscholastic High School Badminton League after beating three teams.
In the boys doubles, MHS 1’s Ian Lubao and Joemill Antonio took down MHS 2’s Kyle Salcedo and Jerome Manzon.
As soon as the MHS 1 duo found their rhythm, they became an unstoppable force.
In the first set, Lubao established control with a strong start and scored five points. Antonio then notched four straight points to wrap up the first set with a 21-8 victory.
MHS 2 tried to improve play with Salcedo in the frontline delivering back-to-back makes.
However, Antonio heated up with eight consecutive points to keep MHS 1 at a safe distance en route to winning the set and match, 21-10.
Girls doubles
In the girls doubles, MHS 1’s Arisa Custodio and Seiyul Hong defeated MHS 2’s Shuxuan Zhang and Angie Feng.
The first set was intense as neither team could gain control. With every score that MHS 1 made, MHS 2 had an answer.
However, Hong’s quickness and precision returns allowed her team to win the first set, 21-16.
They then took over the second set, leaving MHS 2’s Zhang and Feng in the dust as MHS 1 cruised to victory, 21-9.
Girls singles
One of the toughest matches was the girls singles duel between MHS 1’s Abigael Robles and MHS 2’s Zhang.
The first set was filled with intense back-and-forth exchanges as it all came down to the final possession.
Robles then stepped up with the clutch play to snatch the win, 21-20.
In the second set, however, it was Zhang’s time to shine. After reaching the 10-point mark, she powered through the next exchanges to bag the win, 21-15, and force a third and final set.
Despite Zhang’s valiant efforts, she failed to maintain efficiency as Robles turned the tables and romped away with a 21-12 victory.
Boys singles, mixed doubles
In the boys singles match, MHS 1’s Pony Tang emerged victorious after going toe to toe with MHS 2’s Erlwin Aguirre in three sets, 13-21, 21-20, 21-17.
In the mixed doubles match MHS 1’s Paulo Quidato and Hong triumphed against MHS 2’s Salcedo and Feng 21-9, 21-13.
MHS 1 also defeated Tinian in five matches.
Against Saipan Southern High School, MHS 1 nearly pulled their third consecutive sweep with four wins in the bag. However, in the mixed doubles category, MHS 1’s Angieleysha Punzalan and Tang lost to SSHS’ Emigrace Vinuya and Brian Lee, 14-21, 15-21.
Team standings
1) Marianas High School 1, 40 points
2) Saipan Southern High School, 25 points
3) Saipan International School, 24 points
4) MHS 2, nine points
5) Tinian, seven points
