By James Sablan
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
SAIPAN Southern High School and Mount Carmel School continued their dominant start in the boys high school division of the PSS-NMIBF IT&E Interscholastic Basketball League SY 2025-26, each recording its second straight lopsided victory during Friday’s games at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.
SSHS V remains one of the top contenders this school year after routing Agape Christian School, 61-12.
From the opening tip, SSHS V established a physical presence that ACS struggled to counter.
SSHS V steamrolled through the first half, fueled by efficient offensive execution led by the two-man game of Heman Addy and Kian Helgen. The duo set the tone early with back-to-back baskets. Their scoring was complemented by strong defensive play from Matthew Peters and Jezper Navarro, who contested nearly every shot and held ACS to just eight first-half points — six of them from Raffy Cai.
With the lead growing, SSHS V turned to its bench in the final stretch of the half. James Matsumoto poured in eight points in the last 10 minutes, while Arce Sangalang and Theo Joab added two and three points, respectively, helping push the advantage to 28-8 at halftime.
ACS attempted to regroup with more drives to the basket, but SSHS V’s defense continued to clamp down, limiting ACS to just two points for much of the second half.
SSHS V found its rhythm from beyond the arc. Onick Ragbonshe opened with a three-pointer, followed by consecutive baskets from Navarro. Jaydan Defang, Dany Defang, and Sangalang each added a triple in the closing minutes to cap the 61-12 victory.
MCS vs Eucon
Mount Carmel School delivered another commanding performance, overwhelming Eucon International School, 75-10.
MCS built a commanding 36-6 halftime lead behind a balanced offensive attack. Michael Mercado Jr., Enzo Sasamoto, Cameron Pangelinan, and Eloy Deleon Guerrero controlled the paint, while Ethan Tomokane helped spark a 39-4 second-half run to seal the victory.
Eucon showed brief signs of life in the second half behind Zijie “Lavine” You, who knocked down two three-pointers to finish with six points. However, the Knights’ depth proved too much, as they continued to pour it on to complete the 65-point rout.
James Sablan has been a sports reporter for Variety since 2013. He was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College and covers all local sports.
