Sports
ASIJ, Bangkok grab Far East combined titles
Stars and Stripes
February 1, 2018
American School of Bangkok's Keisharna Lucas looks for room against Kadena's Megan Kirby during Thursday's final in the Far East girls combined division basketball tournament. The Eagles edged the Panthers 47-42. (Anna Fuerst/Special to Stripes)
American School of Bangkok's Keisharna Lucas looks for room against Kadena's Megan Kirby during Thursday's final in the Far East girls combined division basketball tournament. The Eagles edged the Panthers 47-42. (Anna Fuerst/Special to Stripes)
Nile C. Kinnick players display the banner emblematic of their school-first Far East Division I Basketball Tournament title. (Chloe' Stevens/Special to Stripes)
Kadena's Montez Young Jr. goes up to shoot past Humphreys' Brice Bulotovich during Thursday's third-place game in the Far East combined boys basketball tournament. The Blackhawks won 57-55. (Hanna Ervasti/Special to Stripes)
Kadena's Atirria Simms protects the ball against the American School of Bangkok defense during Thursday's final in the Far East girls combined division basketball tournament. The Eagles edged the Panthers 47-42. (Anna Fuerst/Special to Stripes)
Kadena's Atirria Simms and Isabel Tayag and American School of Bangkok's Keisharna Lucas fight for the rebound during Thursday's final in the Far East girls combined division basketball tournament. The Eagles edged the Panthers 47-42. (Anna Fuerst/Special to Stripes)
Yokota Panthers girls basketball players gather around the Far East Division II Tournament banner they've won now four straight years. (Courtesy of Yokota girls basketball)
Kubasaki's Elonzo Higginson III skies for a rebound over Yokota's Renyck Robertson and Kishaun Kimble-Brooks during Thursday's fifth-place game in the Far East combined boys basketball tournament. The Dragons won 58-54. (Hanna Ervasti/Special to Stripes)
Humphreys Blackhawks players gather around the banner symbolic of their school-first Far East Boys Division II Basketball Tournament title. (Chloe' Stevens/Special to Stripes)
Humphreys junior Quintin Metcalf was named Far East Division II Tournament Most Valuable Player. (Chloe' Stevens/Special to Stripes)
Humphreys' Quintin Metcalf goes up for a slam dunk against Kadena during Thursday's third-place game in the Far East combined boys basketball tournament. Humphreys beat Kadena 57-55. Metcalf was named the Division II Tournament Most Valuable Player. (Hanna Ervasti/Special to Stripes)
American School In Japan's Koki Wiley lays it up against Nile C. Kinnick's Davion Roberts during Thursday's final in the Far East combined boys basketball tournament. The Mustangs beat the Red Devils 60-52. (Maiya Larry/Special to Stripes)
Nile C. Kinnick's Gage Henderson puts up a shot between American School In Japan's Kai Shimojo and Oliver Rogers during Thursday's final in the Far East combined boys basketball tournament. The Mustangs beat the Red Devils 60-52. (Maiya Larry/Special to Stripes)
American School In Japan's Ray Shino lays it up past Nile C. Kinnick's Davion Roberts during Thursday's final in the Far East combined boys basketball tournament. The Mustangs beat the Red Devils 60-52. (Maiya Larry/Special to Stripes)
Three times Kadena tried to clip the American School of Bangkok Eagles’ wings the last two seasons. Three times, the Panthers were denied.
Kadena’s latest attempt came Thursday, when two-time Division I Most Valuable Player Shanique Lucas outshot 2016 MVP Rhamsey Wyche in the fourth quarter and the Eagles overcame a five-point deficit to beat Kadena 47-42 in the Far East girls combined division tournament final.
“The two girls have had great games against one another,” Eagles coach David Lucas said of the repeated showdowns between his daughter and Wyche. “You can’t ask for anything better.”
On the boys side, American School In Japan avenged its 75-50 loss in Tuesday’s D-I final, holding Nile C. Kinnick to an unusually low total for the high-scoring Red Devils, in a 60-52 triumph.
Thursday’s was the fourth meeting between the Eagles and Panthers in the last two years at a Far East tournament.
ASB outlasted Kadena 48-45 in double overtime the first time the two schools played in last year’s D-I tournament. The Eagles then downed the Panthers 52-31 in the championship.
On Tuesday, ASB followed a familiar pattern in the D-I final against Kadena, seizing a 25-13 halftime lead, then fending off a Panthers second-half rally for a 44-35 win. On Thursday, Kadena flipped the script, leading by five at half before the Eagles turned it on late.
“Our goal was to limit the touches for No. 7 (Lucas),” Kadena coach Jonny Cooper said. “We were successful at first. All day long, we had played excellent defense. But it caught up to us. To box-and-one for that long is tough. And she (Lucas) just turned it on.”
Lucas was held to four first-half points, but found the mark again and again in the second half. Wyche scored just 10 points in the first three quarters before filling the nets with 12 in the fourth.
This was Kadena’s fifth loss in its last six appearances in a DODEA-Pacific tournament final.
ASIJ last won a DODEA-Pacific title in the 2013 D-I tournament, and shared with ASB the honor of winning the first titles in the Far East combined tournaments, featuring D-I and D-II teams playing as one.
On Thursday, the Mustangs left nothing to chance, seizing a quick lead and racing ahead by 13 points at halftime. All nine Mustangs scored, led by Koki Wiley’s 15 points and 10 by Kai Shimojo.
“We didn’t shoot,” Red Devils coach Robert Stovall said. “ASIJ had a good game plan for us, putting a lot of pressure on defense. Usually, if our opponents scored 60 this year, we would win the game.”
Davion Roberts of Kinnick led all scorers with 20 points and Bryan Hunt added 15 in the losing cause.
“We’re happy to go home with the Division I title and the Sava Trophy,” Stovall said of the Fred Sava Memorial Cup awarded each year to the D-I championship coach.