KINGS & TYPHOONS STORM FINALS

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By Colin Leon Guerrero

As summer officially comes to an end, so is the Annual Summer Jam, which held two championship games Thursday night at the Tamuning gym.

JR Kings Def. Panthers Club 66-58

JR Kings’ John Baza flies around the Panthers’ defenders for a layup. (photo by Jesse Castro)

In the first game, the JR Kings went up against the Panthers Club in the Men’s JR Varsity championship where the Kings would upset the Panthers 66-58.

The Kings started the game very aggressive using their speed and quick hands to get steals and second chance points against the bigger and stronger Panthers. John Baza and John Onedera went on a 4-0 scoring run midway through the first half putting the Kings up 33-20 in the first half of the game, keeping the Panthers at bay.

In the second half, the Panthers were the ones coming out with some fire as their inside game started to pick up when Christian Chang grabbed a board and put it back for a basket cutting the lead to 33-28.

However, the Kings were determined to win their first championship as Baza and his teammates were too fast for the Panthers.

“We were the underdogs here in this game, and we had nothing to lose,” said Baza, the captain for the Kings and MVP of the game when asked about the odds of his team winning who scored 11 of his 22 points in the second half.

“This will probably be my last basketball game on Guam before I leave for school, so it was nice to finally win a championship after four years playing in this tournament,” said Baza who will be attending Seattle University this fall.

Tamuning Typhoons def. Andersen Bombers 68-47

Bombers’ Christopher Thomas went back up to attempt a shot after grabbing the rebound. (photo by Jesse Castro)

In the Men’s Varsity Championship showdown  the Tamuning Typhoons took on the Andersen Bombers in a highly anticipated championship match, which saw the Typhoons outlasting the Bombers 68-47.

The Typhoons started off the game sharp and aggressive easily going up 10-4 in the first minutes of the game getting quick buckets from the likes of Dominic Sablan and Joe Blas.

On defense, the Typhoons were just as aggressive, if not more, not allowing the Bombers to get anywhere near the rim thanks to big men Derrick Royster and Vince Estella, who played smart and drew offensive fouls on several possessions, helping his team get the ball in the process. By the end of the first half, the Typhoons were up 26-12.

In the second half, the Bombers were able to pick up some momentum after a huge block from Jordan Gaddy which turned into a rare and crowd pleasing fastbreak dunk from Ledget Glover which excited some of the crowd at the Tamuning Gym.

However the overall chemistry and experience of the Typhoons was too much for the Bombers. “We have all played for the National Team at some point and we’re all veterans, so with that experience we’re just a better team,” said Blas who was also the leading scorer, racking up 26 points overall and MVP for the game.

PHOTO GALLERY BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

Panthers’ Jordan Javellana takes a shot over JR Kings defender Gino Perez. (photo by Jesse Castro)

JR Kings’ Brian Kim tries to get off a jump shot while being defended by Panthers Jeremiah Taitano. (photo by Jesse Castro)

Typhoons’ Derrick Royster goes in for a layup. (photo by Jesse Castro)

Typhoons’ JP Cruz drives around Bombers’ Ledget Glover to shoot for two. (photo by Jesse Castro)

Bombers’ Barry Endsley goes hard between two Typhoon defenders to try for two. (photo by Jesse Castro)

Typhoons’ Joe Blas draws the foul from Bombers’ Jordan Gaddy and scored two with this layup. (photo by Jesse Castro)

Bombers’ Ledget Glover tries to take the shot while being defended by Typhoons’ Derrick Royster. (photo by Jesse Castro)

Bombers’ Ronnie Jamison shoots the short jumper over Typhoons’ Vince Estella. (photo by Jesse Castro)

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