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YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — One might look at Kadena’s boys basketball team’s tournament ledger, three championships and one silver medal in the 2009-10 season, and call it a dominant one for the Panthers.

Anything but, coach Robert Bliss said. With as complete a team as he’s had in his seven years at the Panthers’ helm, he says he and his team knew they’d be a walking, breathing target from start to finish.

"Right from the beginning … the bull’s-eye was on our back," Bliss said after his Panthers survived a chess match of a Far East High School Class AA Tournament final Saturday, dethroning 2009 champion St. Mary’s International 32-30. "We had to work hard. It was a battle. But we persevered."

Kadena raced in front 13-2 in the first period on Jason Sumpter’s baseline jumper, but the Titans fought back, using an 8-0 run to get back in it. St. Mary’s trailed by eight points midway through the fourth quarter, but for the most part kept right at Kadena’s heels.

"We had to work hard," Bliss said. "St. Mary’s guys are unbelievable. How great they play defense is just absolutely fantastic. It’s so much fun to watch them play. They play great defense, they’re so smart and they fight so hard."

Kadena won the ninth Class AA Tournament title in school history, tying Kubasaki, also of Okinawa, for the most all-time. It capped a season in which Kadena won the Hong Kong Invitational, New Year Classic and Class AA, and came in second in the Okinawa-American Shootout.

"It’s been an incredible year for us," Bliss said.

Kadena also denied St. Mary’s bid for a second straight title in honor of their late coach Fred Sava, who died last month of brain cancer. Sava won three Class AA titles in his 15 seasons as Titans coach.

"Toward the end, we played the Sava way, we played so charged, and that was Coach Sava carrying us," Titans coach George Clarkson said. "His spirit is very much alive and his influence is incredible on those kids. You can see it in the way they played tonight."

Tournament MVP Taiyo Robertson sank three foul shots in four attempts to keep the Titans at bay, and Steve Schrock’s free throw with 18.9 seconds left proved to be the game winner.

St. Mary’s Toni Taniguchi hit three foul shots to get the Titans within 30-27 — the closest they’d been since the first quarter — but it was a close as they got.

After Taniguchi hit a pair of buckets to cut Kadena’s 13-2 lead to three points, the Panthers tried to pull away several times, going up 25-17 on Kevin Paranal’s back-to-back baskets with 4:40 left. And every time, St. Mary’s answered back, but could never take the lead.

"We had our opportunities and in basketball, you have to take them," Clarkson said. "We played them (Kadena) to two points and probably should have won tonight. But, should’ve, would’ve, could’ve."

Taniguchi led all scorers with 19 points. Sumpter’s eight led Kadena.

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Dave Ornauer has been employed by or assigned to Stars and Stripes Pacific almost continuously since March 5, 1981. He covers interservice and high school sports at DODEA-Pacific schools and manages the Pacific Storm Tracker.

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