(Stars and Stripes)

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan – E.J. King’s girls are getting well accustomed to winning Western Japan Athletic Association soccer tournament titles.

The Cobras boys strikers, meanwhile, experienced the taste of a WJAA championship for the first time on Saturday.

In two all-DODEA finals, King came away with both WJAA titles on the same day for the first time in school history, at the expense of Matthew C. Perry.

Kings’ boys needed to win three matches, rallying past the Samurai 3-2 in the final at Nagoya International School. The Cobras won the quarterfinal 3-2 in penalties over host Nagoya and the semifinal 4-1 over Canadian Academy. Damian Perez scored one goal in each match.

“It’s been a long time coming,” King coach and athletics director Ricky Andrew said. “Four of my players have had four years of ups and downs, it was nice to see them win one. It’s one of these things we hope will get us playing at a higher level in the future.”

In the girls’ tournament, it came down to the last minute for King for the second straight year, as they edged the Samurai 3-0 in penalties. Katelyn Mapa, Rosie McGrath and Madelynn Hays each converted shootout goals for the Cobras.

“We’re all very excited,” said first-year Cobras coach Jesse Dare.

King won the tournament last March 11 on the same field, with Maliwan Schinker scoring the winning goal in the final seconds. In Saturday’s semifinal, Schinker scored her Pacific-leading 24th goal of the season with two minutes left for a 1-0 win over Marist Brothers.

Goaltenders Raelin Reyes of Perry and Alex Bottorff traded saves, some of them breathtaking, to keep the final scoreless through full and extra time. Bottorff kept the Samurai out of the net during penalties, making two clutch saves.

“Alex made some very nice stops, all of them off players who have a foot on them and they know how to use it,” Dare said.

Panthers fall in boys basketball, softball finals

AGANA HEIGHTS, Guam – Brinnlyn Hardt and Guam High’s softball team came up a game short in their bid for a third straight Interscholastic Sports Association title, losing in Saturday’s final 13-4 to Academy of Our Lady at Okkodo High School.

It was the first loss for the Panthers since dropping the opener of last April’s Far East Tournament at Camp Humphreys in South Korea. Guam High went 7-1-2 this season.

The night before, at the Phoenix Center in Mangilao, Father Duenas Memorial captured its fourth Independent Interscholastic Athletic Association of Guam title in five years, downing the Panthers 64-56.

Jamel Romero had 18 points and 15 rebounds and Noah Tenorio added 15 points and 11 boards for the Friars, who led the entire contest.

The Panthers fell despite senior Cameron Brantley’s 38 points, 18 rebounds and six steals. They finished 7-4 on the season.