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St. Paul overcomes Southern's onslaught, wins 3rd straight hoops title
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by Jason Salas, KUAM News
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
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The Lady Warriors of St. Paul Christian School fulfilled their quest to establish themselves as a dynasty before a raucous crowd at the University of Guam Field House in Mangilao, winning their third straight IIAAG girls basketball championship over a tough Southern High team, 58-57 in a nail-biter. The win also marked St. Paul's fifth hoops title in the last eight years. But it was the manner in which the young athletes claimed the championship that was most remarkable - coming back from what seemed to be an insurmountable 14-point deficit in an instant classic in the latest live sports broadcast presented by KUAM and Marianas CableVision.
KUAM Sports 1st Team All-Island guard Rebecca Tomada stole the show offensively, en route to 25 points punctuated by fiery emotion and a highlight reel of moves around the basket. But foul trouble forced the senior to spend an extended period of time on the bench, and she ultimately fouled out in the critical last minute of the game after hacking Southern guard Chelsea Gofigan going to the rim. Center Brittney Bello had a monster game down low, owning the glass on both sides of the ball. And sophomore phenom Jasmine Mosqueda stepped up her role as a lockdown defensive player, as she had a gang of steals, contested shots, and disrupted momentum on a number of occasions, turning key defensive stops into fast break points.
Click here to stream or download the 2006 IIAAG Girls Basketball Championship
But the true hero and my choice for the game's MVP, St. Paul senior Lani Manalo, had to battle just more than an opposing and sizable Southern backcourt. Being under the weather, the guard that St. Paul coaching staff proudly describe as "the undeniable glue that holds this team together" started out by hitting critical perimeter shots in the first half. And then went ice cold for about nearly the entire third quarter minutes. Committing several unnecessary fouls, turning the ball over three times and missing what should have been routine shots, Manalo was visibly shaken, her confidence momentarily lost.
So while Tomada carried the Lady Warriors on her experienced shoulders, getting to the free throw line and inching her team closer, Manalo finally came around and got her swagger back. And when her team needed her most, with the game tied at 44, she made the play of the game. Manalo started at the top of the key and slipped through the Dolphin defense, knifing her way to within eight feet of the rim...when she flicked a beautiful no-look pass to Bello, waiting right under the rim for an easy kiss of the glass for 2, to the deafening approval of hundreds of Warrior faithful. She also made a statement during a furious St. Paul rally by hitting a huge 3-pointer, giving her school its first lead of the second half, 50-49 with 2:33 to go.
In short, she willed her team back into the game and helped lead them to a title. When the final buzzer sounded, Manalo immediately leapt into hear teammates' arms, and as quickly burst into tears, realizing what they'd just done. And personally, what she'd just overcome.
St. Paul head coach Paul Pineda after the game told me that he was extremely proud of his team's resilience and ability to find a way to win, adding that he was literally blown away by Southern's hot shooting when the game began. "I've never seen anything like that," he said, still in awe of what looked like a shooting clinic. "That was about as perfect a game as I've ever seen a team play for ten straight minutes - at any level. They just kept taking 3's and didn't miss." Felipe Candaso's Dolphins played the game of their lives, lighting up the scoreboard and raining 3-pointers from any and every angle they tried. Joy Baza, Maria Bais, Aubrey Okada and Kevanie Muna all let their shots fly from downtown with reckless abandon - and all hit. The young players have every reason to hold their heads high for an unbelievable performance, and for earning the respect of their opponents and fans.
But to the victors go the spoils, so a very well deserved congratulations to the Lady Warriors. Of the fourteen members of the varsity squad, only five are seniors, and it was only because of his upperclassmen's personal request did Pineda come back to coach after a brief hiatus. He's since created a dominant program in both the girls' and boys' leagues that is making the little Christian school into Basketball High. The members of St. Paul's Class of 2007 will graduate with their third straight title, and once again bring the coveted championship trophy home to Harmon.
If you missed our live presentation of the game, you can catch the rebroadcast this Sunday, December 24 at 3pm on KUAM-TV8.
Click here to stream or download the 2006 IIAAG Girls Basketball Championship
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