Friars win basketball national championship, Tenorio named MVP

The Father Duenas Memorial School Friars capped off a perfect season Sunday night, beating the Okkodo High School Bulldogs 77-66 in the Clutch Guam Boys High School National Championships at the University of Guam Calvo Field House. 'I just feel so happy,' said FD's Noah Tenorio, the tournament MVP. 'All the hard work we've done in practice, all the blood sweat and tears, we pulled it through.' Both the Friars and Bulldogs basketball teams finished their respective seasons in their own leagues undefeated, winning their championship games and advancing to the postseason showdown. But with two of Okkodo's starters watching from the bench - sharpshooting forward Kayjay Martin recovering from a severe high-ankle sprain and Bulldogs' big man Jude Lopez nursing a broken wrist - the pride of the public school was lean in key positions. Without a sizable option to slow down and guard Tenorio, the senior had his day on the court - finishing with a game-high 23 points and 14 rebounds. Ending the first quarter and foreshadowing things to come, a 3-pointer from Tenorio beat the buzzer, tagged the glass, and fell through the cylinder. 'I didn't know I was going to bank it,' Tenorio said. 'But all I knew is that it was going to go in.' After the first quarter, the Friars led 15-11 and, quickly, turned the game into a runaway. On both ends of the court, Tenorio dominated, driving hard to the hoop and forcing Okkodo to take outside shots. The Bulldogs buried five 3-pointers in the period, three from Khylle Varela and a pair from Monte Cabrera, but the Friars' all-court play tipped the scales in their favor. As Okkodo's offense heated up, so did the Friars', turning up the sizzle and padding their lead. Matching the Bulldogs' intensity, Friars playmaking guard Blaise Ada knocked down a pair of treys. Teammate Yoshi Sayama, who drained a long-distance shot in the opening period, splashed in another. But Tenorio was doing the heavy lifting, finishing the second quarter with 10 points and 4 for 4 shooting from the charity stripe. 'This game today was all about heart,' Tenorio said. 'I just wanted it more at the end. And I'm happy for my team. They really pulled it through.' The Friars led by 14 at halftime and, after the third quarter, increased the lead by 15. In the final period, the Bulldogs tried to play catch-up, pulling within 8 points, but the national championship belonged to FD. Leading the Friars' scoring effort, Tenorio scored 23 points, Sayama scored 16 points, Jaden Santos added 14 points and Ada added an even dozen. For the Bulldogs, Cabrera scored a team-high 21 points, Varela dropped in 16 points and Cody Buluran added 13 points.
Courtesy of: postguam.com