MHS GIRLS GETS FOURTH STRAIGHT TITLE

Marianas High School bagged its fourth straight championship in the varsity division of the MISO Girls Basketball League after defeating Mt. Carmel School, 60-52, in last Saturday’s finals at the MHS Gymnasium.
The Lady Dolphins battled back from a slow first half to make it two in a row against the Lady Knights, who suffered a 35-79 beating at the hands of the former in last season’s title game. In the rematch, it seemed Mt. Carmel was headed for a win that would have forced a deciding Game 2, as the Lady Knights led by as much as 10 points before fatigue took its toll on the wards of coach Francis San Nicolas and collapsed against the better-rested MHS crew.

The finals was Mt. Carmel’s third game for the day, as it earlier met MHS in the winner’s bracket semifinals with the Lady Dolphins advancing to the title match and getting a twice-to-beat advantage, following a 63-60 victory. Mt. Carmel dropped to the loser’s bracket and had to eliminate Tinian High School to earn a return trip to the finals and a second crack at MHS. The Mt. Carmel-Tinian duel for the last finals berth was set for 2pm and finished past 3pm, while the Lady Dolphins completed their semis game against the Lady Knights past 1pm and had about three hours to take a rest for the 4pm title match.

A sluggish MHS crew then showed up in the first quarter of the finals, while Mt. Carmel was on fire taking an early 8-0 lead. The Lady Knights behind the baskets from Jan Travilla, Kaylani Lebria, and Michaell Kautz went on to finish the first canto with a 19-11 lead, as only Kyla Ito made more than one field goal for the Lady Dolphins, who started the game without the injured Jeraldine Castillo.

With Castillo out, Julie Anne Reyes tried to keep MHS afloat and she got ample help from the hustle plays of Gabrielle Race and inside baskets of Diane Pablo and Lahaina Gatchalian. By the end of the first half, MHS moved within 5 points, 25-30.

Mt. Carmel managed to hang on to the lead in the first half of the third quarter, but when Karleen Reyes, Lebria, and Michelle Kautz sat out, MHS capitalized and grabbed the upper hand. The three key players had been starting for the Knights since the beginning of the double-elimination tournament last Friday and were forced to take a breather due to cramps.

While San Nicolas struggled with his manpower, MHS coach Preston Basa had the luxury of shuffling his players. On two occasions in the third quarter, Basa replaced his starting five with fresh legs from the bench. However, it was four of Basa’s starters—Race, Ito, Pablo, and Reyes—who really stepped up and by the end of the third, MHS was already on top, 48-43.

Lebria and Michelle Kautz remained on the bench in the opening two minutes of the fourth canto, allowing MHS to pad its lead to as high as 11 points, 56-45. Kautz later returned to the game along with Lebria, but failed to get their rhythm back, leaving Jan Travilla the tough job to mount a Mt. Carmel comeback, which did not materialize. Reyes ended any hopes left in the Lady Knights’ bid to extend the finals, scoring 6 of MHS’ last 8 points.

Mt. Carmel then finally waved the white flag at the 2:22 mark of the fourth with MHS on top, 60-49, as San Nicolas pulled out his exhausted starting crew. Basa followed the lead and recalled some of his key players and fielded in Castillo in the closing seconds of the match.

Reyes led four Lady Dolphins in double figures with her 14 points. Pablo chipped in 12, while Ito and Race contributed 10 apiece. Travilla paced Mt. Carmel with his 20 points, while Michelle Kautz nailed 15, but was held to one free throw in the fourth canto. Lebria chipped in 12, but made only one field goal in the entire second half.

With the Lady Dolphins extending their reign in the MISO varsity caging, only two teams have been crowned champions in the league. Kagman High School was the other squad, ruling the league in the 2008-2009 and 2009 -2010 seasons before MHS won the next four, including the first two against the former, 70-33, and versus Saipan Southern High School, 70-18.


Finals
MHS 60 – Reyes 14, Pablo 12, Ito 10, Race 10, Lumabi 6, Gatchalian 5, Rastguiy 2, Lopez 2
MCS 52 – Travilla 20, M. Kautz 15, Lebria 12, R. Kautz 2, Taylor 2, Demapan 2.
Scoring by quarters: 11-19, 25-30, 48-43, 60-52




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