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By Rob Leon Guerrero
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,
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.
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.”
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.
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GPS Sports Calendar
May 2024
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- WE
- TH
- FR
- SA
Events for April
1st
IIAAG M.S. BOWLING
INTERSCHOLASTIC GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
ISA HS BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Events for May
3rd
INTERSCHOLASTIC GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
ISA HS BOYS VOLLEYBALL
IIAAG HS BOYS VOLLEYBALL
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4th
HIGH SCHOOL POWERLIFTING SHOWDOWN 2024
ISA TRACK & FIELD MEET
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4th
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6th
INTERSCHOLASTIC GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
ISA HS BOYS VOLLEYBALL
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8th
IIAAG M.S. BOWLING
INTERSCHOLASTIC GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
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9th
ISA TRACK & FIELD MEET
ISA HS BOYS VOLLEYBALL SEMIFINALS
ISA HS BOYS VOLLEYBALL All-ISLAND MEETING
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10th
INTERSCHOLASTIC GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL LEAGUE QUARTERFINALS
IIAAG HS BOYS VOLLEYBALL SEMIFINALS
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11th
IIAAG M.S. BOWLING FINALS
ISA TRACK & FIELD MEET
Events for May
11th
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13th
INTERSCHOLASTIC GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL LEAGUE SEMIFINALS
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14th
ISA HS BOYS VOLLEYBALL FINALS
IIAAG HS BOYS VOLLEYBALL FINALS
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14th
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18th
HIGH SCHOOL PADDLING ALL-ISLAND
INTERSCHOLASTIC GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL LEAGUE FINALS
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20th
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21st
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22nd
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23rd
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Events for May
25th
Events for May
26th
Events for May
27th
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28th
Events for May
29th
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30th
Running/Track
PANTHERS STARS SHATTER FAR EAST MEET RECORDS
Weightlifting
HIGH SCHOOL POWERLIFTERS DISPLAY STRENGTH
Running/Track
GECKOS DOMINATE WEEK 5
Running/Track
GECKOS DOMINATE WEEK 5
Weightlifting
HIGH SCHOOL POWERLIFTERS DISPLAY STRENGTH
COMING SOON …
4th Quarter Post Season
Boys Volleyball Champion v Champion on May 19