The Marianas High School team members pose for a photo with the championship trophy during the award ceremony of the NMBA-PSS Interscholastic Badminton League SY23-24 at the Ada gym on Saturday.
MARIANAS High School emerged victorious in the nail-biting finale of the NMBA-PSS Interscholastic Badminton League SY23-24 after slipping past Saipan Southern High School, 3-2, to claim the championship at the Ada gym on Saturday.
The title match started with the Men’s Doubles event in which MHS’ Marlon Bautista and Dave Odicta went up against SSHS’ Jude Burgos and Nolan Nate.
The MHS duo’s skills and teamwork were unmatched. On defense, Bautista and Odicta covered each other’s blindsides, while on offense, they stayed aggressive with mixes of returns to keep the opposition guessing. But SSHS’ Burgos and Nate stood their ground and gave their fair share of highlights to stay within reach.
Toward the last four possessions of the first set, MHS’ Odicta found his second wind, scoring four consecutive points to secure the win, 21-13.
Riding the momentum, MHS powered through the second set. Odicta stole the show once more with a six-point run while teammate Bautista delivered four-straight points to defeat SSHS, 21-5.
Women’s Singles
The next game was between MHS’ Ruth Bautista and SSHS’ Shaina Malonzo in the Women’s Singles.
Both were equally matched. Malonzo was on the attack in the first set, scoring three points but Bautista responded with four consecutive points.
The back-and-forth battle continued with the game tied at 16-16. But as the dust finally settled, it was Malonzo who reigned supreme, scoring the last three points to bag the first set, 21-19.
The two remained evenly matched in the second set and gave spectators a good show. Malonzo then unleashed a series of offensive returns to claim the second set, 21-15, and the game.
Deadlocked
With the overall match score deadlocked at 1-1, MHS regained the upper hand in the Men’s Singles event with Sernantie Jimenez besting SSHS’ Nate in two sets, 21-18, 21-11. However, in the Women’s Doubles, SSHS’ Malonzo and Lallayne Torregosa defeated MHS’ Abigael Robles and Prapti Mondal in two sets, 21-17, 21-20.
With both teams holding two wins each, the victors of the Mixed Doubles event would decide the championship
Finale
In the first set, MHS’ Robles and Brandon Manacop worked well together with Robles playing the role as the aggressor and scoring off a series of returns while Manacop chipped in points to break the opposition’s momentum and claim the first set, 21-20.
In the second set, SSHS’ Burgos and Lallayne Torregosa pulled a late-game rally to win, 21-15, and force a third and final set.
It was seesaw battle in the third canto that resulted in a tie, 20-20. But in the end, MHS’ Manacop saved the day by scoring the final point to clinch the win, 21-20, and hand MHS the championship for the second year in a row.
Coach James Digno, an MHS geometry teacher, shared his thoughts on their successful title defense. “We feel really good,” he said. “The kids have been training since last year. They started in the beginning of the school year, and it really shows.”
He added, “It was a very close match. I believe the Mixed Doubles were the deciding factor.”
Digno also commended SSHS for a very good job defending despite MHS’ strategy to stay aggressive throughout the match.
Digno likewise expressed his gratitude to Tan Holdings, the Northern Marianas Badminton Association, PSS’ Nick Gross and everyone involved in the badminton league.
SSHS’ Shaina Malonzo extends for the lob return during a Women’s Singles game against MHS during the co-ed high school division championship of the NMBA-PSS Interscholastic Badminton League SY23-24 at the Ada gym on Saturday.
MHS’ Bradon Manacop extends for the return as teammate Abigael Robles covers from behind during a Mixed Doubles game against MHS in the co-ed high school division championship of the NMBA-PSS Interscholastic Badminton League SY23-24 at the Ada gym on Saturday.
