St. John’s and Academy Start 2-0 on Opening Day of the Girls HS Basketball Classic
St. John’s and Academy swept their opening day games at FD Jungle, led by 56 points from Zoe Whitehead and 31 from Keni Paulino.
The Girls High School Basketball Classic, presented by Secret, tipped off Saturday at FD Jungle with eight pool play games.
Notre Dame 48, St. Paul 39 Notre Dame opened the Classic with a win, building a 28-14 halftime lead behind a 19-point second quarter. St. Paul answered with a 15-8 third quarter to cut it to seven, but the Royals held on. Zeniah Quitagua led Notre Dame with 13 points, and Kaley Cruz and Naomi Blas added 11 each. Dory scored 18 for St. Paul.
Guam High 41, Harvest 9 Guam High’s defense set the tone early, holding Harvest scoreless in the first quarter on the way to a 14-0 start. Eli Johnson led the Panthers with 16 points, Destiny Blaize added 13 and Shirley Hayner chipped in 4.
GW 50, Notre Dame 34 Notre Dame came back for its second game of the day and was tied 20-20 at the half, but GW pulled away with a 30-14 second half. Laurel Osborn poured in 24 points and Riley Roberto added 15 for the Geckos. Kaley Cruz led Notre Dame with 9.
Academy 49, Southern 37 Academy led from the first quarter and never let go, pushing the lead to eight after three and closing on a 9-5 fourth. Keni Paulino scored 14 for the Cougars. Lana Quinata led Southern with 16.
St. John’s 54, St. Paul 19 Zoe Whitehead put on a show, scoring 32 points to outscore St. Paul on her own. Zara Muna added 8 as the Knights held the Warriors to single digits in every quarter.
Southern 51, Harvest 21 Southern bounced back from its earlier loss, jumping out to a 16-8 first quarter and leading 29-14 at the half. Lana Quinata scored 20 points for her second strong game of the day, and Zoe Luzanta added 13. Jasmine B. led Harvest with 8.
St. John’s 67, GW 29 St. John’s settled the battle of unbeaten Pool B teams early, racing out to a 45-11 halftime lead. Zoe Whitehead followed her 32-point opener with 24 more, Chloe Laxamana added 14 and Zahna Whitehead chipped in 11. Riley Roberto led GW with 12.
Academy 44, Guam High 15 Academy closed the night in the battle of unbeaten Pool A teams, using a 19-3 second quarter to take a 27-8 halftime lead. Keni Paulino scored 17 points to finish the day with 31, and Suri Sanchez and Anaiah Taylor added 7 each. Eli Johnson led Guam High with 7.
Standings after Day 1 Pool A: Academy 2-0, Southern 1-1, Guam High 1-1, Harvest 0-2 Pool B: St. John’s 2-0, GW 1-1, Notre Dame 1-1, St. Paul 0-2
Up next: Pool play moves to the UOG Calvo Field House on Monday, Oct 26.
Standings, schedule and scores: Girls High School Basketball Classic →
