SSHS 1 edges MHS 1, bags badminton title

Article from Marianas Variety (mvariety.com)

Saipan Southern High School 1 players pose for a photo with the Northern Marianas Badminton Association board members and PSS Athletic Director Nick Gross after winning the high school division championship of the PSS-NMBA Interscholastic Badminton League SY24-25 at the Ada gym on Saturday.

Photo by James F. Sablan Jr.

SAIPAN Southern High School 1 became the new high school division champion of the PSS-NMBA Interscholastic Badminton League SY24-25 after topping the overall standings with 19 points, edging out defending champion Marianas High School 1, which finished with 18 points.

 In the finale at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium on Saturday, SSHS 1 secured the title with a 4-1 match victory over Marianas High School 2.

In the boys singles match, SSHS 1’s Nolan Nate beat Minul Hoque in two sets.

It was a tightly contested battle with several lead changes in the first set. After the fifth deadlock, Nate found his rhythm, scoring three consecutive points. However, Hoque responded with five straight points to stay within reach, leading to another intense exchange.

Nate’s quickness and smart placements kept him on the offensive as he finished strong in the final possessions, scoring three unanswered points to clinch the first win, 21-18.

In the second half, Hoque s scored four consecutive points from the receiving end and held the lead for most of the action. But Nate eventually cooked up a rally as he scored 11 points straight to notch the second set, 21-16 and secure the first win for SSHS 1.

Shaina Malonzo kept SSHS 1’s morale high by defeating MHS 2’s Amy Park in straight sets.

Park kept pace with Malonzo early on, trailing by just two points at 13-11. However, Malonzo gained momentum, allowing Park only two more points before sealing the victory, 21-13.

In the second set, Malonzo rattled off eight straight points before Park finally got on the board. However, it was only a brief pause in Malonzo’s dominance, as she quickly regained control to cruise to a 21-10 victory, securing her team’s second win of the match.

Even in pairs, SSHS was a force to be reckoned with as Jude Mallari and Nate bested MHS 2’s John Delos Reyes and Danielle Mulinyawe in the men’s doubles, 21-13, 21-19, while Malonzo and Mallari outplayed MHS 2’s Joseph Paraiso and Nichole Llaga, 21-9, 21-11, in the women’s doubles.

MHS 2’s lone victory came in the girls doubles event, where Isa Nishitani and Park narrowly edged SSHS 1’s Lallayne Torregosa and Shanna Mae Villaluz in a thrilling battle, 21-20, 21-20.

Prior to their win over MHS 2, SSHS 1 defeated Agape Christian School 2, 4-1, to accumulate a total of 19 points and secure the championship for this school year.

MHS 1 eased past ACS 2, 4-1, and Saipan International School 3, 4-1, but they had to settle for second place with a total of 18 points.

In third place was ACS 2 with 12 points.

“The finals — everything that my team went through was hard work. We talked about this every day to get ready to win. My team definitely deserved it,” said SSHS 1 coach Daniel Macario.

 “It feels great. I was doubting myself, and MHS had national players,” said SSHS 1 team captain Shaina Malonzo.

“MHS 1 won two years in a row, so it felt so good to defeat the defending champions,” added co-team captain Jude Mallari.