FRIARS TAKE DOWN PANTHERS 74-68

By Eriele Salas

The Father Duenas Friars pulled out an exciting 74-68 win in a IIAAG Boys Basketball League showdown with the Guam High Panthers Tuesday night at the Phoenix Center. Senior guards Blaise Ada and Jaden Santos led the team with Ada scoring 22 and Santos with 16. 

Ada’s 16 of his 22 points came in the second half to help erase a 32-29 Panthers halftime lead.

Ada said that the 3rd quarter was crucial for them and that free throw shooting, rebounding, and more communication are what they needed to improve on after trailing in the first half. Santos’ six straight points in the third quarter gave the Friars the spark needed to gain back the lead and eventually pull away in the fourth.

The much-anticipated matchup lived up to the hype as both teams are expected to be in the thick of the championship equation.

It was a back-and-forth first half as the two exchanged leads on numerous occassions. FD led after the first quarter 19-16 before Guam High came roaring back for their three-point halftime lead.

Knowing that the Panthers were a taller team, Santos stated that his mindset was “to be aggressive, to make smart decisions, to play defense, and to rebound the ball.” Santos stated that in order for the team to bounce back from the first-half deficit, they needed to come together, communicate and just play their best. 

Coming into the third quarter, the Panthers would have a strong start with Cameron Brantley juking out the Friars and collecting points. Panther Joseph Delia would get heavily defended, and he finally found an opening to Brantley. Brantley would then sneak a pass over to Robert Ellis who made another basket to tie the game.

Santos would then spark the Friars to start pulling away as he and Ada would lead their team down the stretch to win an early-season statement game – Ada knocking down 8-of-10 free throws in the fourth to seal it.

Brantley led Guam High with 17 points with Ben Harris adding 15.

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