Salas, George Washington tame Panthers

Behind a 21-point scoring barrage from Alana Salas, the George Washington High School Geckos girls basketball team on Friday pounced on the Guam High School Panthers. The Geckos, improving to 2-0, in front of the Panthers home crowd, dropped Guam High, 61-30. 'I think we have a lot of offensive weapons,' Salas said. 'We are offensive-talented. If we pick up our defense, we can compete against these other teams.' The Panthers, trailing 10-9 after the first quarter, showed fight early but were soon reeled in. Two minutes into the second quarter, a coast-to-coast drive from Guam High's Amber Guerrero gave the Panthers a 15-13 lead. But, a 3-pointer from Salas sparked a 19-0 run. And, with Haley Banez sharing the offensive load, the Geckos never looked back. Banez chipped in with 12 points. When Salas wasn't burning defenders with her crossover dribble and draining shots from beyond the arc, she hit her teammates in stride for lightly contested layups. 'I told my teammates, every time I drive, for them to roll to the basket,' said Salas, who, on the way to a 32-15 halftime lead, dished out five assists. For Salas' effort in making the team better, George Washington head coach Jon Lujan praised the senior point guard. 'Her basketball knowledge is off the charts,' Lujan said. 'All her international experience and her understanding of the game make her teammates better than they are.' With nine Geckos filling the scoring column, they attacked the Panthers from all angles. 'It's a good problem to have,' Lujan said. 'Everyone has to accept that roll. If their number is called, then they have to be ready to roll.' The Panthers, without All-Island guard Taneea Henderson in the lineup who is relocating off island with her family, struggled with consistent scoring but still had a pair of talented student-athletes put up respectable numbers. With 8 points apiece, Aliya Jones and Guerrero paced the Panthers. 'The girls played hard,' said Joe Taitano, Panthers head coach. 'We just have to continue to work hard and get better.' The undersized Geckos, who scrapped their way to fast break points and won the battle of the boards, pose a threat to any team. 'Today, our help-side defense was really there to bail us out,' Lujan said. 'We don't have much height, compared (to what) you saw today. We have to work hard from the top to the bottom, and we have to box out.'
Courtesy of: postguam.com