TOP 4 TEAMS MARCH ON TO SEMIFINALS

By Charlotte Oh

The fourth-seeded St. Paul Warriors kicked off the GBC Girls High School League playoffs with an impressive win against the fifth-seeded Guam High Panthers, defeating them 51-41 in the quarterfinals. Playing on their home court, the Warriors were able to capitalize on both offense and defense to secure their victory Tuesday night.

The other top teams: #1 St. John’s Knights, #2 Academy Cougars and #3 JFK Islanders all cruised through to the semifinals this Friday.

The Warriors established the lead early on and held it throughout the first two quarters. Kimora Charfauros led the team’s scoring in the first half, contributing nine of her total 12. With senior Ryanna Ngirchomlei’s leadership and playmaking abilities on the court, St. Paul was able to keep up the tight passes and quick buckets to end the first half with a lead of 24-17. Ngirchomlei ended as the top scorer for the Warriors, with 15 points. 

“It feels good, but we could’ve come out stronger. We picked up in the second half and that’s good,” Ngirchomlei said. She also added, “I know we were all nervous. It was a win-or-go-home game. So we just had to rely on each other and trust each other.”

As for the Panthers, they struggled to get a bucket in the first quarter, ending it with only three points. Additionally, senior captain Nykale Penn was fouled multiple times, earning eight free throws in the first half, but was only able to convert one. 

After halftime, however, the Panthers came out with renewed energy and intensity, making shots early on in the quarter. They quickly came back as Penn tied up the game with a layup to reach a high-pressure moment for both teams at 25-25. With the crowd going wild, the Panthers seemed to be gaining decisive momentum.

However, the Warriors never let them take the lead and quickly composed themselves finishing the quarter with 14 additional points. Ngirchomlei led the third quarter in points, and together, the Warriors closed the quarter out at 39-27.

In the final stretch, the Warriors finished out strong. Junior Sazzy Quintanilla, recently coming off of an injury, totalled at 6 points, but was able to shine on defense. Seeming as though she could predict the Panthers’ passes, she intercepted their ball over and over, allowing her teammates to rank up points to end the game. Their teamwork was shown throughout the game as they depended on each other to make tight plays and end the game at 51-41 and a ticket to the next round.

“We were just motivating everyone, telling them don’t let your head down. Just communicate both offensively and defensively and just be there for your teammate whenever,” said team leader Sazzy Quintanilla.

Ngirchomlei added, “We all had one goal in common and that’s to make it to the championships, so we played our heart out and did everything we could to make it to the next (game).” 

The Warriors have a goal to improve on defense as they prepare for their next game. “We do need to work on our defense, it’s a little sloppy, but you know I believe we can make the adjustments to be better players than today,” said the point guard. Quintanilla similarly added, “Our defense, we need a lot more work. But when the day comes, we’ll all be there together and help each other out.”

OTHER PLAYOFFS

The top-ranked St. John’s Knights cruised by #8 Okkodo Bulldogs 68-35. The big three of Jia Peters (22 pts), Amara Del Carmen 21 (pts) and Zoe Whitehead (13 pts) once again paved the way for the Knights. In fact, Peters had a triple double, adding 13 assists and 11 rebounds. The scary part is, there is not a single senior on the Knights roster.

#2 Academy breezed by #7 Sanchez Sharks 72-33. Maddy Ada had a stellar game with 18 points,12 rebounds, seven assists, six steals and two blocks. Maria Paulino added 16 points, eight assists, five rebounds and eight steals. Gabby Hahn chipped in with nine points, 13 rebounds and eight steals.

Finally, the 3rd-ranked JFK Islanders fought past #6 Southern Dolphins 63-43. Franchesca Aguilar went off for 32 points, including six 3-pointers. Southern’s Lana Quinata had 23 points in the losing cause.

SEMIFINALS ON FRIDAY

#4 St. Paul @ #1 St. John’s 6 pm (Warriors are the only team to beat the Knights this season)

#3 JFK @ #2 Academy 6 pm (Cougars def Islanders in the regular season)

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