LATE RUN KEEPS COUGARS UNBEATEN

By Patrick Lujan

Big stars shine in big situations.

Academy Cougars stars Maria Paulino and Maddy Ada stepped up when needed in the fourth quarter as both scored 16 points to lead the Cougars to a 57-38 win over the JFK Islanders Friday night to remain undefeated (8-0) in the Interscholastic Girls Basketball League.

After JFK’s Francesca Aguilar drove in back-to-back layups to cut an Academy lead to 37-34 early in the fourth quarter, Paulino and Ada quickly went to work, carving out a 20-4 run to put the game away.

Ada hit all four of her field goal attempts in the quarter, scoring 11 of her 16 points, while Paulino contributed seven points, two steals and four assists in the big run to send the visiting Academy crowd into a frenzy.

“We just had to settle down,” the senior captain Paulino said. “It’s all about energy.”

“I think we needed to first focus on our defense, because our offense will come,” Ada added. “We did a good job of keeping our composure and finishing strong.”

Finish strong they did, frustrating the Islanders into six turnovers in the final period and Paulino quarterbacking the transition offense to where the Cougars shot 9-for-13 in the 4th.

“We played the passing lanes a lot better in the fourth quarter,” Academy head coach Arleen Mad said. “With key stops, it allowed us to get out in transition which opened up our offense.”

It was going so good for Academy, guard Cassidy Guerrero even landed a trey from Steph Curry land.

“I’m glad we hit those shots because it’s never easy to play a tough team like JFK on their home floor,” coach Mad added.

Paulino finished with an envious stat line: 16 points, six steals, five rebounds, five assists – all after a super quiet first quarter.

SLOW START

It took a while for both teams to get going. The cold air conditioning may have played a part as it felt more like an ice box than a gym.

JFK took a 4-0 lead before Mylie Butters and Kenadie Paulino – both coming off the bench – put the first points on the board for Academy with 3-pointers. The Cougars never relinquished the lead thereafter, taking a slim 9-6 lead after the opening period.

Ada dropped a three from the left corner right out of the quarter break and a transition fast break play from Ada to Guerrero gave the Cougars their first double-digit lead.

After a 28-18 halftime lead, the Cougars’ shooting went as cold as the gym, going 2-for-13. Meanwhile, JFK’s Jaelyn Han scored six of her nine points in the third, including a buzzer-beating jumper, to keep the Cougars within striking distance at 32-26.

A sliver of hope came about early in the 4th as the Islanders home crowd lit a fire that brought the game to within 37-34.

“We love the challenge,” Paulino said about the Islanders.

“They are a good team and they have a lot of talent,” Ada chimed in. “We just needed to keep our defense strong.”

Ada added seven rebounds and two blocks to go along with her 16 points.

Aguilar was aggressive and tried at all cost to carry the Islanders with a game-high 20 points, seven rebounds and five steals.

JFK has lost two straight after dropping their first game to the St. John’s Knights on Monday. Along with Academy and JFK, the St. Paul Warriors and Knights jump into the four-team race for the top spot with one week of play left in the regular season.

All four teams square off next Friday to close out the season: St. John’s at Academy and JFK at St. Paul. The Knights and Warriors only have one loss.

JV GAME

The Cougars continued their domination over the 8-team JV league. Academy rolled over JFK 64-23 behind Aani Shiroma’s 16 points. The Cougars have been averaging between 30-40 points in point differential during the season so far.

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