Sports
Defending Class AA champ Kubasaki falls
Stars and Stripes
February 23, 2008
Seoul American Falcons forward Joe McLean shoots over Yokota Panthers defenders Phillip Williams (31) and DeEric Harvin (24) during Thursday's quarterfinal game in the DODDS-Pacific Far East High School Boys Class AA Basketball Tournament at Collier Field House. (Gary Cashman / Special to Stars and Stripes)
Seoul American Falcons forward Joe McLean shoots over Yokota Panthers defenders Phillip Williams (31) and DeEric Harvin (24) during Thursday's quarterfinal game in the DODDS-Pacific Far East High School Boys Class AA Basketball Tournament at Collier Field House. (Gary Cashman / Special to Stars and Stripes)
Seoul American Falcons guard Daniel Burns, left, tries to slap the ball away from Derick Seward of the Yokota Panthers during Thursday's quarterfinal game in the 2008 DODDS-Pacific Far East High School Boys Class AA (large schools) Basketball Tournament. Seoul American outlasted Yokota 47-44 in overtime. (Gary Cashman / Special to Stars and Stripes)
Joe McLean of Seoul American and Antony Phillips (30) of Yokota watch the ball go out of bounds during Thursday's quarterfinal game in the 2008 DODDS-Pacific Far East High School Boys Class AA (large schools) Basketball Tournament. (Gary Cashman / Special to Stars and Stripes)
Kadena Panthers guard Josh Greggs dribbles past Kubasaki Dragons guard Michael Bennett during Thursday's quarterfinal game in the 2008 DODDS-Pacific Far East High School Boys Class AA (large schools) Basketball Tournament at Collier Field House, South Post, Yongsan Garrison, South Korea. Kadena dethroned defending champion Kubasaki 61-55. (Gary Cashman / Special to Stars and Stripes)
A new champion will be crowned Saturday in the DODDS-Pacific Far East High School Boys Class AA Basketball Tournament.
For the fifth time in six meetings this season, Kadena’s boys beat Kubasaki. The latest victory came in Thursday’s Class AA quarterfinal, in which the Panthers ripped the defending champion Dragons 61-45.
Observers say Kadena, which swept the Okinawa Activities Council season series from Kubasaki, is playing its best defense of the season. Case in point: The Panthers held Christian Academy In Japan to 12 points in a Wednesday second-round game.
Kubasaki coach Jon Fick believes the Panthers were “the best team in the tournament,” at least through Thursday’s play.
“We ran into the locomotive that is Kadena,” Fick said. “They’re playing so well, offense, defense, they’ll frustrate you every way possible. (Coach) Bob (Bliss) has them going.”
As Kubasaki suffered its downfall against Kadena, host and pre-tournament favorite Seoul American survived a major scare against Yokota. Clutch foul shots down the stretch helped the host Falcons prevail 47-44 in overtime over the Panthers.
It was a vastly different verdict than the Falcons’ 70-40 triumph over the Panthers on Jan. 4 in the New Year’s Classic at Yokota.
“Not only did Yokota have a good game plan, the kids executed it well,” Falcons coach Steve Boyd said.
The Panthers slowed the tempo on offense, then packed into a 3-2 zone defense designed to neutralize Seoul American in the low post.
The contest served as a grim reminder, Boyd said, that at this point, any team that reaches a single-elimination semifinal or a double-elimination winner’s bracket final is dangerous.
“If you make it this far, everybody’s got to have something or they wouldn’t be here,” Boyd said. “Everybody brings something to the table.”
Fields set for last two days of tournament playOf the Boys Class AA Final Four teams, three of them, Seoul American, Kadena and St. Mary’s International, played in the New Year’s Classic. Seoul faced St. Mary’s, while Kadena took on American School In Japan in Friday’s semifinals. The title game is at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Seoul American’s girls reached their record 14th straight Class AA Final Four. The Falcons, trying to send retiring coach Charlotte Hicks out a champion, faced Christian Academy In Japan in the second semifinal, with the winner to face Kadena or John F. Kennedy of Guam at 5 p.m. Saturday.
JFK, in its first Final Four since its two runner-up finishes in 2003 and ’04, brought back a familiar face — senior Raelene Tajalle. As a setter, she helped Kubasaki reached a Class AA volleyball Final Four in 2005; she transferred to JFK last summer.
“I’m proud to be an Islander,” she said of trading Kubasaki green and white for JFK green and gold. “I’m here to represent JFK and Guam.”
No DODDS teams remained in the Girls Class A Tournament at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan. E.J. King’s girls of Japan were the last to exit, falling 48-39 to Morrison Christian Academy of Taiwan.
Despite the defeat, “we exceeded our expectations and beyond,” Cobras coach Mike Seitz said. On the backs of players such as guards Kristia and Riza Suriben, center Arlexia Gray and forward Samantha Bossert, “we went all the way to fourth place. We’re happy. We’re proud.”
Sacred Heart, Morrison and defending champion Faith Academy remained in the hunt for Friday’s championship game at 10:45 a.m. The “if necessary” game is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.
In the Boys Class A tournament, the YIS-Seoul vs. Faith winner awaited the results of the knockout scrum between E.J. King and St. Paul Christian of Guam.
Coach Phillip Loyd of host Daegu American called YIS-Seoul the team he’d rather not face.
Next to three-time defending champion Faith Academy, “YIS-Seoul is the most disciplined team out there,” Loyd said. “They find a weakness and they’re disciplined enough to exploit it.”
The Guardians “have two really good big men and some really good guards,” Daegu junior Larry Dixon said of senior post players Daniel Han and Kildong Kim and the team’s bevy of ballhandlers and shooters.