MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan – Many expected longtime Division I school Yokota to run away with the boys basketball title when the Panthers were moved down to Division II this school year.

At a quick glance, that’s what happened Wednesday, when Yokota routed Matthew C. Perry 78-50 for the Far East Division title.

But a closer look shows the Samurai gave the Panthers all the competition they wanted – and maybe a bit more.

“You’ve got to give them credit,” tournament Most Valuable Player Jadan Anderson said. “They pushed us.”

Perry pushed Yokota into playing several extra games in fact. A 71-62 Samurai victory in the opening round of double-elimination play Tuesday meant the Panthers couldn’t afford another loss in the tournament. And they had to win four times Wednesday just for the right to play for the title.

“I’m really proud of the way our team persevered,” Yokota coach Paul Ettl said.

The Panthers didn’t really need to warm up for the final game and it showed. Yokota ran out to a 19-8 advantage after the first quarter and the lead didn’t dip into single digits after the opening minutes of the second quarter.

Jermaine Neal scored 24 points and Hunter Court 21 for the Panthers. Jamarvin Harvey and Anderson each added 12.

Ettl said the key was how the team handled Perry’s pressure defense.

“That really hurt us (in Tuesday’s game),” he said. “Perry played very well. Got us back on our heels and we never recovered.”

Anderson, a senior who plans to attend Azusa Pacific University next fall, majoring in exercise science and playing basketball, credited his teammates for maintaining their focus in the final day.

“We weren’t even looking ahead to playing them,” he said. “We were just taking them one at a time. Then we tried to take it one quarter at a time. Because if you win the quarters, you’re going to win the game.”

Jarrell Davis paced Perry with 23 points and Jon Cadavos added 17. Those two, along with Tyson Moore, gave Yokota a tougher battle in the first championship game. Since Perry hadn’t lost yet, the teams had to play a second time for one of them to get a second loss and be eliminated. Moore had 19, Davis 14 and Cadavos 11 in Yokota’s 58-48 victory. Neal led Yokota with 18, followed by Marcus Henagan with 15, Harvey with 15 and Anderson with 12.

Anderson laughed when asked if he was ready to play more basketball Wednesday.

“They’re too pumped up to be tired right now,” Ettl said. “I think they’ll feel it tomorrow.”

MVP – Jadan Anderson, YokotaAll-Tournament Jay Diaz, Devin Speight, Daegu; Dai’Quan Wilson, Humpheys; Jacob Lyle, E.J. King; Jon Cadavos, Jarrell Davis, Matthew C. Perry ; Shawn Monroe, Kenny Ishida, Okinawa Christian; Nicholas White, Sung DeAngelo, Osan; Shawn Robinson-Ortiz, Blake Thomas-Smaw, Robert D. Edgren; Anderson, Marcus Henagan, Yokota; Zechariah Wilson, Zion ChristianSportsmanship - Humpheys

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