Maryknoll rebounds from first league loss with rout of Damien

Brian Bautista | SL

Maryknoll got back on the winning track Saturday afternoon, taking down Damien, 55-36.

Dylan Neves had a team-high 13 points and three three-pointers and Ciera Tugade-Agasiva added 12 more points to go along with two rebounds, two assists and two steals to lead the way for the home team on Homecoming.

The Spartans suffered its first setback in league play just three days prior, as the Warriors got a buzzer-beating shot by Makenzie Alapai to get the 38-36 win, and Maryknol quickly found itself in what appeared to be another dogfight, as the Monarchs clawed back to get within two points off a Theresa Anakalea basket that made it 16-14 at the 3:18 mark of the second.

But Maryknoll quickly countered with a trio of three point baskets, two by Neves and another by Hailey Perez, that quickly got the home team ahead by double digits.

"It felt good to get my shot going," said Neves of the hot streak on the perimeter in the second. "But for the team, I felt it brought us the energy that we needed to pick it up the rest of the game."

The 9-0 spurt was the largest by either team in the game, and ultimately doomed the Monarchs, who never were able to truly get back into the game.

Damien did, however, close out the third quarter with a 7-0 run of its own which cut the lead to 13 at 38-25, but key baskets in the fourth quarter, in particular an Isabella Arrisgado three that pushed the margin back out to 16, along with 10 of 15 made free throws by the Spartans, sealed the deal.

"Our coaches preaches and preaches about free throws, all the time in practice and how they are the game changer," said Neves. "We always focus on free throws."

Damien's Kenna Wengler had a game-high 14 points in the loss and added six rebounds and a block. Anakalea was held to just 10 points and six rebounds, her third lowest output of the regular season. The senior guard averages 17.3 points per contest in ILH play.

"She's a good player and she's all around," said Neves of Anakalea. "It's a bit of a challenge, but all of us were willing to step up to that."

Of note was the absence of Maryknoll post Taimane Faleafine-Auwae, who subbed out in the latter stages of the third quarter and did not return to the court. She finished with four points and seven rebounds. In her absence, Elisa Holakeituai logged extended minutes and contributed four points and five rebounds.

"It gives us confidence that our bigs are all at the same level," said Neves of the play of Holakeituai. "It doesn't matter which big is in or out, we just play our game and we're good."

The ILH Division I regular season concludes next week for Maryknoll with games at Punahou (Jan. 16) and at Iolani (Jan. 18), before a home rematch with Kamehameha on Jan. 20 to close things out. Damien hosts Kamehameha on Jan. 16, then travels to Punahou in its final regular season match on Jan. 19.

Both teams will then participate the ILH Division I single elimination tournament set to tip off on Jan. 23.