HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Guam High School senior Cameron Brantley scored a game-high 38 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, but his effort wasn’t enough, as the unidimensional Panthers lost the Independent Interscholastic Athletic Association of Guam championship basketball game to the Father Duenas Memorial School Friars 64-56 Friday night at the University of Guam Calvo Field House in Mangilao.
While Guam High’s offense was primarily left to Brantley, Father Duenas spread out their attack. For the Friars, big man Noah Tenorio scored 15 points and hauled in 11 rebounds. Colin Baker, FD’s shooting guard, finished with 11 points – nine from 3-point land. While Tenorio pounded through the paint and Baker stuffed the stat sheet from behind the arc, transfer student Jamel “Melo” Romero was a dominant force. Last season, Romero played for Guam High. But this year, while sporting the Friars’ traditional maroon, gold and white jersey, he poured in a team-high 18 points and muscled down 15 rebounds.
“This feels amazing. This is my first time winning, and this is one of the best experiences I’ve ever felt in my life,” Romero said.
Romero, a key player on the Panthers’ 2022-2023 team, said that he decided to transfer to FD because he wanted to have a fun senior year with some of his friends who he had grown up with.
Romero’s competitive spirit and all-around hustle led to his unparalleled performance. He said that “always being a dog in the paint” aided in victory.
After Brantley opened scoring with a 3-pointer, the Panthers’ only basket of the period, Baker, Romero and Tenorio went to work. In the first quarter, Baker scored 8 points, Romero had 6 points, and Tenorio finished the frame with 5 points. Although the quarter began with both teams struggling offensively, FD’s big three outscored the Panthers 19-8.
With very little offensive contribution from anyone other than Brantley, time after time, play after play, Brantley either received a pass from Aaron Johnson, another teammate or ran the offense and called his number. Brantley, in the second quarter, scored all of the Panthers’ 11 points.
At the half, the Friars led 31-19.
In the third quarter, Tenorio, Romero and Baker finished where they left off – driving the lane, dominating the offensive glass and draining another 3-pointer. But the big three weren’t doing it all by themselves. Off the bench, David Dela Cruz scored 4 points and Phil Guerrero II made his only basket – a perfect offering from downtown.
Once again, the Panthers relied on Brantley. Brantley, in the third quarter, scored 7 points.
To start the fourth quarter, the Friars led 49-31, but the Panthers cut the deficit to 7 points. With Brantley calling his own number, driving through the lane in traffic and drawing fouls, he spent most of the period at the charity stripe where he made 15 of 20 free throws. Each time Brantley was fouled and the clock stopped, his prowess at the free-throw line gave the Panthers hope.
Romero, Brantley’s former teammate, recognized him for his effort.
“He’s super fast and very athletic, and I give him props,” Romero said. “He’s a dog. I give it to him.”
But with four minutes left in regulation, the Panthers needed to slow down, if not stop, the Friars’ offense. But Father Duenas didn’t falter. Their offense received a much-needed spark from Alfred Leon Guerrero, whose back-to-back buckets put the game out of reach.
