St. John's Edges Academy 41-35 to Win the Classic Championship
Zahna Whitehead scored 15 and tournament MVP Zoe Whitehead added 12 as St. John's finished the Classic unbeaten.
St. John's finished the Girls High School Basketball Classic the same way it started it, unbeaten. The Knights held off Academy 41-35 in Thursday's championship at the UOG Calvo Field House, winning a rematch of last season's final.
St. John's used a 6-0 run late in the first quarter to lead 10-4. Academy answered with two 3-pointers early in the second and tied the game 14-14, but the Knights scored the next six points and took a 20-18 lead into halftime.
The third quarter swung it. St. John's scored six straight to turn a 23-20 lead into 29-20, and went into the fourth up 33-25. Academy kept coming. A 3-pointer and a three-point play cut the lead to 39-35 with 2:05 left, but the Cougars did not score again, and a St. John's basket with 1:07 to go sealed the title.
Zahna Whitehead led St. John's with 15 points, and Eva Starr added 7. Zoe Whitehead scored 12 and was named tournament MVP after finishing the Classic with 128 points, the most of any player. Suri Sanchez led Academy with 14 points. The Knights' defense held Keni Paulino, Academy's leading scorer, without a point.
St. John's finished 6-0, and Academy's only loss of the week came in the final.
Standings, schedule and scores: Girls High School Basketball Classic →
Box score
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Johns Knights | 10 | 10 | 13 | 8 | 41 |
| Academy Cougars | 4 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 35 |
St. Johns Knights
| Player | PTS | 2PM | 3PM | FT | PF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Zoe Whitehead | 12 | 4 | 0 | 4-6 | 1 |
| 4 Isla Fejeran | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| 5 Eva Starr | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0-0 | 1 |
| 7 Mia Aguigui | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 1 |
| 8 Zahna Whitehead | 15 | 7 | 0 | 1-2 | 3 |
| 11 Zara Muna | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0-2 | 0 |
| 12 Chloe Laxamana | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| 13 Elana Basco | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Team | 41 | 15 | 2 | 5-10 |
Academy Cougars
| Player | PTS | 2PM | 3PM | FT | PF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 Ellie Tesoro | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| 1 Amelia Santos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| 3 Madison Atoigue | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0-0 | 5 |
| 10 Winona Valencia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| 11 Ani Shiroma | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| 12 Suri Sanchez | 14 | 3 | 2 | 2-2 | 2 |
| 13 Anaiah Taylor | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2-2 | 1 |
| 14 Jill DeCastro | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 2 |
| 21 Zoe Shinohara | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| 22 Keni Paulino | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 1 |
| 25 Kiersten Pangelinan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 |
| Team | 35 | 11 | 3 | 4-4 |