MARIANAS High School and Mount Carmel School Varsity scored their first wins in the IT&E Interscholastic Boys High School Basketball League on Friday at the MHS gym.
The MHS Dolphins had a slight advantage when they faced the Saipan International School Geckos who were playing their second consecutive game.
Among the Geckos, only Kuu Nishimura could deliver on the offensive end. Despite the Dolphins’ relentless defense, Nishimura managed to use his ability to handle the ball along with his speed to slip through the paint and draw a handful of fouls. He made total of five points from the free-throw line.
However, with only Nishimura able to produce points, SIS gradually trailed behind.
For his part, Raven Francisco sparked MHS’ momentum with back-to-back buckets while team mates Aiden Suba and Kerby Manganti contributed a triple each to give MHS a half-time lead, 14-7.
In the second half, SIS decided to focus more on defense and greatly reduced the Dolphins’ ability to score.
But MHS also drew fouls which allowed the Dolphins to get on the line and add six points to their output.
SIS still lacked the offensive support needed as Nishimura remained the only Gecko who played consistently.
MHS won, 20-14.
MCS vs Da’ok
The second game of the day was claimed by the Mount Carmel School’s Varsity Knights who pummeled the Da’ok Academy Sharks 32-10.
The Knights’ teamwork and skills were simply unmatched as they quickly gained control. MCS’ Merrick Toves ignited the run with the opening bucket while team mates Joshua Tenorio, Leo Naraja and Lance Lerio added extra firepower with two points apiece.
Da’ok managed to break the silence with four points made by Jesse Camacho and Vince Kaipat, but MCS’ Richard Steele answered with five straight points, including a three-pointer, to hand his team a comfortable 17-4 spread.
Da’ok started to find confidence as Mark Castro found his range with two straight makes from beyond the arc, but that was the end of the Sharks’ run.
As for the MCS V Knights, they never cooled down as Toves continued to score inside the paint while Naraja delivered five points to seal their team’s first win of the season, 32-10.
Two Da’ok defenders trap a MCS V player as he protects the ball during an IT&E Interscholastic Boys High School Basketball League game Friday at the MHS gym.
MHS’ Raven Francisco extends for the finish over an SIS defender during an IT&E Interscholastic Boys High School Basketball League game Friday at the MHS gym.
