
By Niko Bulaon
The speed of the GW Geckos surpassed their opponents, the St. Paul Warriors, but it wasn’t enough as the Warriors halted the Geckos’ attempt of a comeback win, 53-46, Friday night at the GW gymnasium.
Both Warriors and Geckos fought from beginning to end, but it was in the fourth quarter that GW played the hardest, trying to rally back from a slow third quarter. Behind Jason Frias, the Geckos started the last quarter with back-to-back layups to cut into the Warriors’ lead, 45-38.
Warriors’ big man, John San Andres, soon found the openings in GW’s tight defense to put up the easy buckets. But consecutive lay-ins by GW and a three-point play by Matthew Soto put the Geckos only three points away from St. Paul, 49-45.
Warriors Jason Aquino stepped up to keep his team ahead of their opponents. With only two minutes left in the game, GW’s speed and aggressiveness went to another level, not allowing their opponents anywhere near their basket. The Warriors soon stepped up to match the Geckos as they tried to let time expire. But loose balls caused St. Paul to foul their opponents, putting Soto on the line. However, time was not on GW’s side, as the time expired to give the Warriors the win.
“I’m glad for tonight’s win,” said Aquino. “Although we played sloppy, we came out as the victors.”
At the start of the first, the Warriors grew a small lead behind Aquino and teammate Redd Santos. But the Geckos stayed right behind their opponents after multiple second-chance shots, ending the first with a score of 14-10.
The Geckos found their rhythm going into the second; two layups by Soto put the score at 15-14. A quick lay-in by Allen Camacho put the Geckos ahead of the Warriors and another two-pointer by Josh McCarrel put GW up by three, 18-15. But a quick bucket by Brian Tsuji and Jon Pangilinan put the Warriors back up. Multiple easy buckets by St. Paul ended the half with a 6-0 run, 26-20.
At the start of the second half, St. Paul kept their balance to build their lead. Behind Aquino and San Andres, the Warriors frustrated the Geckos after hitting consecutive easy baskets. GW tried match with their opponents, but the offense of the Warriors broke the tight defense of the Geckos, forcing them to foul.
With their opponents looking for their rhythm, St. Paul went on a short 6-2 run. But a buzzer beating three-pointer by Jacob Frias ended the third quarter on a good note for the Geckos, 40-28.
“As I said before, I think my team will do great,” stated Aquino about his team’s journey through the rest of the season. “The chemistry is here, getting better every day, and just having fun and playing basketball.”
Aquino led the Warriors with 19 points and seven rebounds. San Andres contributed with 15 points, a game-high 19 rebounds, five steals, and a block. Soto led the Geckos with 12 points, seven rebounds, and two steals.
Other Scores
FD 65, Okkodo 58 – (FD) Jeremiah Taitano 17 pts. (FD) Nic Aglubat 12 pts. (OKD) Karl Melencio 24 pts.
Guam High 58, St. John’s 42
Southern 51, Harvest 48
Sanchez 48, ND 44
PHOTO GALLERY :

Geckos’ Josh McCarrel attempts a three point shot over Warriors’ John San Andres. (photo by Jesse Castro)

Geckos’ Devin San Agustin rushed an opening in the lane trying to get a layup in the basket. (photo by Jesse Castro)


Foody’s Fun Facts
Foody’s Fun Facts with Makayla Atoigue
ND Royals Rugby Player Makayla Atoigue lays down her Foody’s Fun Facts and shares her dream vacation spot
GPS Sports Calendar
May 2022
- SU
- MO
- TU
- WE
- TH
- FR
- SA
Events for May
2nd
ISA TRACK & FIELD MEET #4
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
3rd
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL QUARTERFINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
5th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
6th
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL SEMIFINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
7th
GPD HOT PURSUIT 5K
MARIANAS OPEN
ISA MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
Events for May
9th
ISA TRACK & FIELD MEET #5
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
10th
ISA GIRLS SOCCER All-Star Meeting
IIAAG GIRLS BEACH VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
IIAAG GIRLS SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL FINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
10th
Events for May
12th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL ALL-ISLAND MEETING
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
ISA GIRLS SOCCER SEMIFINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
12th
Events for May
14th
14th JUDICA CRABAO 5K
ISA MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA GIRLS SOCCER FINALS
Events for May
16th
ISA TRACK & FIELD ALL-ISLAND MEET
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE All-Star Meeting
Events for May
17th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
18th
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE SEMIFINALS
IIAAG GIRLS MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Events for May
19th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE SEMIFINALS
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
20th
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL All-Star Meeting
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
21st
Pre-Memorial Day 13-Miler
GETTING GUAM HEALTHY 5K BUBBLE RUN/HEALTH FAIR
ISA MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD All-ISLAND MEET
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE FINALS
ALPHA WARRIOR ESPORTS CHAMPIONSHIPS
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE FINALS
2022 Guam Track & Field National Championships
Events for May
23rd
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL SEMIFINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
24th
Events for May
26th
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL FINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
27th
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Events for May
29th
Events for May
30th

Volleyball
VOLLEYBALL ALL-STAR PLAYERS DRAFTED

Volleyball
TITANS COMPLETE PERFECT 2022 SEASON

Volleyball
ROSARIO: BOYS VOLLEYBALL MVP

Baseball
DODGERS HAND TRITONS FIRST LOSS

Running/Track
FBLG, BMS CONQUER MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD ALL-ISLAND
Foody’s Fun Facts
Foody’s Fun Facts with Makayla Atoigue
ND Royals Rugby Player Makayla Atoigue lays down her Foody’s Fun Facts and shares her dream vacation spot
Foody’s Fun Facts
Foody’s Fun Facts with Makayla Atoigue
ND Royals Rugby Player Makayla Atoigue lays down her Foody’s Fun Facts and shares her dream vacation spot
COMING SOON …
- YOUTH FOOTBALL LEAGUE KICKOFF June 4
- Todd Gurley Football Camp on Andersen
- GSPN Boys Volleyball All-Star Game
- Pacific Mini-Games in Saipan