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By John Baza
Intense high school basketball action continued Saturday night as the JFK Islanders secured a tough 52-49 win against the FD Friars on the Islanders’ home court, snapping the FD Friars unbeaten record at (6-1) with the Islanders taking the league’s top spot at (7-1).
In a game that consisted of sporadic offensive runs and physical man-to-man defense, it was the Islanders who were able to capitalize on forced turnovers and hold on for the win.
With time winding down and the Islanders holding a mere 49-45 lead, FD’s Tristan Jose scored on a clutch acrobatic layup to bring his team within two points, however JFK’s Billy Belger kept calm as he hit both his free throws
With the final seconds ticking off in the final minute of the game and the Friars trailing 51-49, FD used their final possession wisely as they analyzed the defense of the Islanders. The Friars’ Josh Paulino slashed to the rim throwing up a floater that banked off the backboard before rolling out and into the hands of JFK’s Aljurell Grape. Grape was fouled and went on to hit 1-of-2 free throws sealing the win for the home team.
JFK’s Chris Conner had a monstrous night, hustling on both ends of the court and making clutch plays that sent the home crowd into frenzy.
“I just wanted to win that’s all. We kept our defense going and made stops,” said a humble Conner on his performance, who scored a team high 20 points along with 4 blocks for the Islanders.
Coming into the final quarter, JFK held a 38-31 advantage. The Islanders hit the ground running as Jan Pineda got a nice putback off a miss from Ricky Pak. FD’s Juan King hit two free throws to cut down the lead (40-33).
The Islanders’ Conner got a putback bucket to go, before the Friars’ Tristan Jose backed down his defender and drove to the hoop, netting a nice “and-one” play to keep the Friars within reach (42-36) halfway through the final quarter.
The Friars were able to get clutch buckets heading into the final minute behind Jason Santos, Devin Sudo and Jose. But with every basket, JFK had an answer as Wayne Jesus, Pak and Conner kept the Friars at bay.
In this fast paced bout between two of the leagues top teams, action was present from the start as both teams traded baskets with each ensuing possession. The JFK defense pressured the Friars into forced turnovers, which they converted off hustle points from Crowe and Jesus.
FD got a lift heading into the second half as Nick Clark hit two bank three-point shots, followed by buckets in the paint from Sudo and Justin Dimla. Despite this run, the home team islanders maintained a 23-22 lead before the second half.
Despite a well-played third quarter from both teams, the Islanders outscored the Friars 15-9 in the quarter to hold a 38-31 lead heading into the final quarter of play.
Jesus chipped in 13 for the Islanders in the win. The Friars were lead by Jose who put in nine points and Clark with eight. JFK improves to 7-1 while the Friars drop to 6-1.
Other Scores
JFK 52, FD 49
GW 61,Sanchez 58
St. Paul 62, ND 38
Guam High 50, Okkodo 47
Tiyan 41, Harvest 40
*St. John’s vs. Southern moved to Monday March 9th due to water outage in Southern.
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GPS Sports Calendar
December 2023
- SU
- MO
- TU
- WE
- TH
- FR
- SA
Events for November
1st
ISA BOYS SOCCER
IIAAG GIRLS BASKETBALL
ISA GIRLS BASKETBALL
Events for December
2nd
IRON LEGENDS THROWDOWN
ISA HS BASEBALL
HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING
Events for December
4th
IIAAG BOYS SOCCER
ISA BOYS SOCCER
ISA GIRLS BASKETBALL
Events for December
5th
ISA HS BASEBALL
ISA GIRLS BASKETBALL
IIAAG GIRLS BASKETBALL QUARTERFINALS
Events for December
5th
Events for December
7th
ISA HS BASEBALL
IIAAG BOYS SOCCER PLAYOFFS
Events for December
9th
40th GRC PLUMERIA ROAD RACE
GUAM RUGBY INTERNATIONAL 7s TOURNAMENT
ISA HS BASEBALL
HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING
IIAAG GIRLS BASKETBALL SEMIFINALS
Events for December
10th
TOUR OF GUAM 2023
GUAM RUGBY INTERNATIONAL 7s TOURNAMENT
Events for December
11th
ISA HS BASEBALL
IIAAG BOYS SOCCER SEMIFINALS
Events for December
12th
ISA HS BASEBALL
ISA GIRLS BASKETBALL
Events for December
12th
Events for December
14th
ISA HS BASEBALL
IIAAG BOYS SOCCER FINALS
Events for December
15th
ISA GIRLS BASKETBALL
IIAAG GIRLS BASKETBALL FINALS
Events for December
16th
3rd GUAM NINJA CHAMPIONSHIP
ISA HS BASEBALL
HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING
Events for December
16th
Events for December
18th
IIAAG BOYS SOCCER ALL-ISLAND MEETING
Events for December
19th
ISA HS BASEBALL
ISA GIRLS BASKETBALL
Events for December
19th
Events for December
23rd
HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING
ISA HS BASEBALL FINALS
Events for December
23rd
Events for December
24th
Events for December
25th
Events for December
27th
Events for December
29th
- 31
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Events for December
30th

Basketball
FAMILIAR FOES TO MEET FOR HOOPS CROWN

Basketball
ISLANDERS AVENGE EARLY SEASON LOSS
COMING SOON …
- IIAAG Girls Basketball Playoffs
- True Grit Rugby Tournament
- IIAAG Boys Soccer Playoffs