Varsity Week 1 Recap: Sanchez Holds Off Notre Dame as Six Teams Start 1-0
Sanchez survived a fourth-quarter rally, Zoe Whitehead scored 34, and JFK, Okkodo, Southern and Academy all opened with wins.
The 2026 girls high school season tipped off Friday with four Varsity games, and two more followed Saturday. Six teams opened with wins, while St. Paul and Guam High start their seasons next week.
Sanchez 39, Notre Dame 35 The game of the week came down to the final minutes. Sanchez played strong defense early, leading 19-8 at halftime and 26-16 after three quarters. Notre Dame stormed back with 19 points in the fourth, but the Sharks held on for their first win. Xiomara Turla led Sanchez with 10 points, and Alexea Tajalle added 7. Freshman Zeniah Quitugua scored 16 for Notre Dame, including three 3-pointers.
JFK 83, Tiyan 42 JFK's offense was rolling in its opener. Savy Papa scored a game-high 25 points, Maddison Flores hit three 3-pointers for 13, and Elizabeth Carlos added three more for 11. Amiah Rosario led Tiyan with 12, and Aleina Centeno added 10 with two 3-pointers as the Titans put up 15 in the second quarter.
Okkodo 59, GW 38 Emily Duenas picked up where she left off last season, scoring 20 points with two 3-pointers. Taurehn Arjona added 13 and Tianna Rain Reyes scored 9. GW had its best stretch in the third quarter, scoring 18, and Laurel Osborn led the Geckos with 16 while Mylie Santos added 11.
Southern 62, Harvest 26 Southern got scoring from all over. Lana Quinata had 19 points, Zoe Luzanta added 15 and Alyana Santiago scored 12, and all three hit from deep. Jasmine Belyshev led Harvest with 6 points, and the Eagles scored 11 in the third quarter.
Academy 79, Harvest 18 Suri Sanchez led Academy with 23 points, including three 3-pointers, and Keni Paulino added 12. Rosae Sanchez led Harvest with 8 points to close out a busy opening weekend for the Eagles.
St. John's 86, Notre Dame 22 Zoe Whitehead started her season with 34 points. Chloe Laxamana added 26, including three 3-pointers. Naomi Blas led Notre Dame with 8 points in the Royals' second game in two days.
Standings After Week 1
- Academy 1-0
- JFK 1-0
- Okkodo 1-0
- St. John's 1-0
- Sanchez 1-0
- Southern 1-0
- Guam High 0-0
- St. Paul 0-0
- GW 0-1
- Tiyan 0-1
- Harvest 0-2
- Notre Dame 0-2
Up next: Week 2 opens Tuesday, Nov. 3, with St. John's at Southern, two teams that opened with wins. Guam High and St. Paul both make their season debuts on Wednesday.
Standings, schedule and scores: 2026 Girls High School Basketball →