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By Rob Leon Guerrero

Dolphins’ Paige Surber gets by Bulldogs’ Chyna Ramirez and Anisha Nedlic for a shot.(photo by Andre Gadia)

When you reach the top of the competition, there’s only one option left: stay there. On Saturday night the Southern Dolphins came into their opponent’s house without fear, and walked out without a doubt that they are the top team in high school basketball. From the tip-off, the Dolphins used a penetrating attack and an unrelenting defense to halt the Okkodo Bulldogs in their own gym en route to a declarative victory, winning 63-46.

The Dolphins fired off the starting block as the aggressors on both sides of the ball. April Talledo led an energetic attack, slashing through Bulldogs defense and recovering her own missed shot twice before scoring the first basket of the game. An aggressive press by Southern had Okkodo searching for any opportunity to score; unfortunately for the Bulldogs, these opportunities came sporadically. Okkodo guard Felisha Borja managed to keep the score close, converting free throws as well as an acrobatic layup. However, Talledo and Dolphins center,

McDonald’s defensive player of the game: Dolphins’ Brielle Meno

McDonald’s player of the game: Dolphins’ April Talledo. 20 points, 4 steals.

Brielle Meno, continued to find ways to score to the Dolphins ahead 18-7 after the first quarter. The Dolphins’ defense turned it up a notch in the next quarter, suffocating Okkodo’s ballhandlers and creating fast breaks off turnovers. A 15-2 run by the visiting team saw them push the halftime lead to 41-21, as Okkodo found it more and more difficult to score points. Talledo exploded for 12 points in the quarter and 19 in the half.

The second half saw contrasting styles of play with the visiting Dolphins keeping loose, opposed to the Bulldogs playing with notable tension as they attempted a comeback. Although the Dolphins tried to sustain their defensive presence, lapses in their pressure and rebounding opened the door for the Bulldogs. Center Anisha Nedlic was able to score a couple of timely baskets and secure rebounds for her team. As Talledo cooled off, guard Paige Surber took control of the offense, utilizing her speed and toughness to push the pace and weave through the fatigued defenders for quite a few layups.

Bulldogs’ Felicia Borja dribbles against the defense of Dolphins’ Tanya Flores. (photo by Andre Gadia)

The Okkodo offense looked to stall out against the Dolphins, unable to create any momentum. Despite an honorable performance from Borja, the Dolphins closed out the game 63-46.

After the game, Dolphins defensive anchors Talledo and Meno spoke about the team performance, obviously pleased with the outcome of the game. “We played good defense today, it felt good to come out with the win,” Meno said. “Of course, though, there’s still a lot that we can work on, there’s always room to improve.”

“I’ve played against Felisha before, so I knew how to play her,” Talledo said. Despite the gravity of this game of unbeatens, Talledo was humble explaining, “honestly it felt like a regular game. We were good on defense.”

Dolphins’ Brielle Meno scores the easy layup. (photo by Andre Gadia)

Talledo finished with 20 points and four steals, while Meno added 15 points and Surber chipped in 14. OHS guard Felisha Borja scored a game-high 23 points for Okkodo, while teammates Juls Taitano and Anisha Nedlic added 8 points each.

As if the win couldn’t be sweeter, many of the Dolphins’ key players had just wrapped up their Far East volleyball tournament earlier this week, finishing in sixth place, the highest finish by a Guam school in the tournament this year. “We didn’t get a lot of time to practice together for this game, because a lot of us just came from Far East,” she explained. No matter the sport, it seems as though the Southern Dolphins are looking for gold.

PHOTO GALLERY BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

Dolphins’ Tanya Flores passes the ball to teammate Angelica Reyes. (photo by Andre Gadia)

Bulldogs’ Samantha Ramirez takes a shot over Dolphins’ April Talledo. (photo by Andre Gadia)

Dolphins’ Angelica Reyes fouls Bulldogs’ Martha Augustine. (photo by Andre Gadia)

Bulldogs’ Juls Taitano makes the layup. (photo by Andre Gadia)

Bulldogs’ Felicia Borja attempts a free throw. (photo by Andre Gadia)

Bulldogs’ Felicia Borja dribbles against Dolphins’ Maylani Jimon. (photo by Andre Gadia)

Bulldogs’ Felicia Borja dribbles through the southern defense to attempt a layup.(photo by Andre Gadia)

Dolphins’ Brielle Meno wins the rebound against Bulldogs’ Juls Taitano. (photo by Andre Gadia)

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