Friars advance to KFC basketball finals against Warriors

Although high school competition doesn't begin for a few months, the KFC Youth Basketball Circuit summer showcase has provided a sneak peak into how teams may look when the season begins. For Father Duenas Memorial School, not having 2021 graduates Elijah Garrido, Daryll Robles and Matthew Santos will be a huge blow to the Friars lineup. The three have been playing in the tournament, but, of course, will not be available when private school basketball tips off in November. Compounding the Friars' woes, star player Blaise Ada, while playing in the states, has reportedly torn his ACL this week and will miss the entire 2021-2022 season. Garrido played with the team in the earlier rounds, but has left the island for the University of Massachusetts, where he will be studying business administration. For JFK, the Guam Department of Education Interscholastic Sports Association's most formidable team, having graduated Jeremiah Kintoki and Amram Yobei has dealt a tough blow to the Islanders' offensive threat. Capable of breaking down an opposing team's full-court press and lighting up the scoreboard from deep, they will be missed. Despite the absence of former players and new lineups working on building chemistry, Thursday night's barnburner between FD and JFK, held at the FD Phoenix Center, provided fans with high-level, rafters-rattling competition. With 2.6 seconds left in regulation play and the Friars leading by 3 points, JFK was forced to foul, sending Yoshi Sayama to the line. If Sayama missed the front end of a one-and-one situation, JFK would have a chance to send the game into overtime. But, for good measure, the junior made both free throws and the Friars advanced to Friday night's championship game, 42-37. After escaping with the win, Sayama said that free throws, especially in a close game, are important because they can change the game's outcome. 'If I missed both, they could have tied it and go into overtime,' he said. 'If I made both, even just one, we could secure it." Five minutes into the first quarter, turnovers and missed shots highlighted a scoreless tie. In the opening 10 minutes, JFK struggled but led 10-4. Sayama, in the second quarter, after draining a pair of free throws, nailed a 3-pointer from the left corner, giving the maroon-and-gold their first lead, 17-15. 'After that shot, I think we all clicked,' said Sayama, who scored a team-high 14 points, including two 3-pointers and all four of his free throws. 'Because we were down early, that just gave us the momentum to get a big lead." In the second quarter, Robles' commanding, shot-altering presence helped hold JFK to five points. FD, in the third quarter, held the Islanders to three points - a jump shot and a free throw from Kriston Guzman. In the final period, as FD began to pull away, Guzman and teammate Justin Lizama began making their shots. In the frame, Guzman scored 10 of his game-high 18 points and Lizama scored seven of his 10 points. JFK, with a layup from Guzman, at 32-30, reclaimed the lead. But in the final minutes of play, Robles' and Santos' offensive and defensive efforts proved to be too much for the Islanders to overcome.
Courtesy of: postguam.com