Varsity Basketball Consolation Games

Lady Knights beat Griffins by one point

By Daniel Roempler

International School

The varsity girls consolation game between Cambridge and International Thursday presented a truly epic encounter worthy of a final. In one of the most hard battled games of the season, the Knights managed a miraculous comeback and scored the winning point three seconds before the end of the game to end up in third place after scoring the winning point 3 seconds before the end of the game.

The Knights were the first to score, and it seemed as if the Griffins might still be reeling from their emotionally exhausting two-point loss in Tuesday's semifinals. However, the Griffins soon got themselves back on their feet and were able to open a two-point lead at the end of the first quarter, 4-2.

The second quarter highlighted the Griffins renewed spirit. Laura Maragaño was able to shatter the Cambridge defense. She commanded a series of attacks that resulted in an eight-point lead for her team by the end of the quarter, 10-2, and the Griffins seemed to be in complete control of the game as they were exhibiting a well-organized team play offensively and defensively.

However sport has shown us repeatedly that nothing is settled until the final whistle is blown, and we were able to witness this again Thursday.

The International coach, Eduardo "Presi" de la Riva, seemed to feel that the game was safely in hand, and decided to take out his entire starting team and give his junior varsity players a taste of action the big leagues.

However, it took almost no time at all to show that the young Griffins were suffering from high anxiety, and this began to tell on the scoreboard. Cambridge took advantage of their opportunity and engineered a dramatic comeback featuring three three-point shots by Maira Lino, to make the score 14-10 in favor of Cambridge at the end of the third quarter.

De la Riva switched teams once again for the final quarter, and both teams battled with heart and passion to end up tied 16-16 as the game entered its last minute. The entire Christian Learning gym exploded as the crowd was not able to resist the tension and excitement as both teams missed several golden opportunities to score. An unlucky foul committed by International with three seconds on the clock gave Sehee Cho two foul shots. She made one to end the game 17-16 in favor of the Knights.

Cambridge's Lino was her team's leading scorer with 10 points, including a season-high three three-pointers. Cho had five, and Melanie Andia two.

Griffin Maragaño was the leading scorer in the game with 12 points. Adiana Ocampo added four.

Both teams will have most of their key players back next year, though Mariana Escaño, who was injured for the playoff tournament, will graduate. For Cambridge, much will depend on how fast its younger players develop. Three seventh graders -- Josefina Rodriguez, Mako Ueno, and Nicole Fermin have played extensively for the varsity this year, and had key roles in the Knights two varsity victories, both over International..

Jaguar boys cruise against Griffins, 33-11

By Daniel Roempler

International School

The Cooperative boys varsity basketball team seized third place by overshadowing an enthusiastic International team that ended the season without tasting victory.

The final score of the consolation game played at Christian Ledarning Thursday was 33-11.

The Jaguars orchestrated a well-organized game plan that neutralized all Griffin attempts to break open their lines.

The first quarter showed two teams fighting neck-and-neck for the bronze medals. They managed to score a basket each, and entered the second quarter tied 2-2.

The Griffins, however, lacked the stamina to stay on that pace, and began to fall behind a Cooperative team that seemed to tighten up its defense, while tuning up its attack to gain a lead of 15-4 at the end of the first half.

The latter half of the match enabled the Jaguars to more than double their first half scoring. An energetic and precise Milan Marinkovic dazzled the Griffins repeatedly throughout the match, and particularly in the second half, in which he scored nine of his eleven points.

Despite the consistent enthusiasm displayed by the International team that is clearly in a rebuilding stage, the Jaguars managed to outplay them fair and square to finish the game with a 33-11 win, and celebrate a well deserved third place finish.

Marinkovic was the leading scorer in the game with 11 points. Andres Shin had eight; Nicolas Suarez had five;, Luis Peredo three; Jose Mozza and Josue Abuawad had two points each. Suarez and Peredo each had a three-pointer.

For International, Gary Suarez had six points, Francisco Gonzales two and Felipe Molina three.

Cooperative's main loss by graduation or transfer will be Marinkovic, but the Jaguars will be welcoming back Juan Alfredo Abuawad, a star from past seasons who has been on an exchange program in the US.

Winless International will have many of its players back, but will still be looking for a player, or players, with a knack for putting the ball through the hoop.