Kadena’s Mark Francis climbs over Kinnick’s Javier Arroyo to try to get to the ball out of the hands of Kinnick’s Derek Ulrich. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

TOKYO – DODEA-Pacific basketball teams would like to have placed higher in their respective brackets. But for the wealth of experience they gained playing in the 7th American School In Japan Kanto Classic, most said they were glad to take part.

Kadena finished highest among the boys, defeating last year’s runner-up Nile C. Kinnick in the third-place game 41-29. On the girls side, Yokota took fourth, losing 45-28 to John F. Kennedy of Guam in the girls third-place contest.

“We gained experience as a team,” Panthers senior Chloe Cunningham said. “We learned a lot … even if we didn’t get the spot we wanted. We came out stronger than when we came in, and this will help take us all the way through Far East.”

That was the key takeaway for the 13 DODEA teams in the tournament. Since 2017, the Kanto Classic has served as a dress rehearsal for the DODEA-Pacific state championship-equivalent tournaments.

Those are scheduled for Feb. 3-5, the boys Division I at Kinnick, girls D-I at Kubasaki, boys Division II at Osan and girls D-II at Matthew C. Perry.

Some teams entered the three-day Kanto Classic already at a disadvantage, such as Kadena’s boys; junior guard Jaden Patsel tore an ACL in his right knee before the tournament and is lost for the season.

“We lost a big part of our team,” Kadena coach Antiwon Tucker said of losing Patsel, leaving the Panthers with little choice but to bring the “next man up. This is an opportunity to prepare us for what we’ll be missing at Far East.”

Kinnick’s boys came in second in last year’s Classic and fell two spots this year. Though the Red Devils fell in the semifinals to eventual champion Father Duenas Memorial and then to Kadena in the third-place game, coach Robert Stovall expressed optimism going forward.

“We didn’t quit, we kept on pushing,” Stovall said, adding that at tournament’s end, his players answered the two questions he always asks his players: Are they proud of the way they played and did they play as hard as they could?

“This game (third place) lifted our spirits a bit,” Stovall said.

All told, 24 teams took the courts for the three-day event, playing as many as five games. The pace was faster than DODEA-Pacific teams are accustomed, with a 35-second shot clock; regular-season games for DODEA-Pacific teams do not feature a shot clock.

It’s the last major competition for those teams leading into the Far East tournaments, just 2½ weeks away.

Yokota's Ty'Lasia Anu tries to shoot against John F. Kennedy's Franchesca Aguilar. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Yokota's Cocoro Jones puts up a shot against John F. Kennedy's Mylie Navarro. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Yokota's Molly Bogdan shoots between John F. Kennedy defenders. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Kinnick's Gregor Tolar drives past Father Duenas' Colin Baker in the semifinal, won by the Friars. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)

Father Duenas won the tournament for the second time and its sister school, Academy of Our Lady of Guam, captured its third Kanto Classic crown and second in a row.

The Friars halted St. Mary’s’ two-year title streak, rallying from a 10-5 first-quarter deficit to down the Titans 57-39. The Cougars burst in front of host ASIJ in the girls final and cruised to a 44-11 win.

Tristan Han, David Del Carmen and boys Most Valuable Player Noah Tenorio helped fuel a Friars’ 32-15 run in the middle two periods. Del Carmen finished with 18 points and Tenorio 16.

“We’re a team that leans on each other; that’s our identity,” coach Eddie Pelkey said of multiple players contributing to the Friars’ rally. Hahn chipped in with 10 points.

Madeleine Ada contributed most of her points for the Cougars from behind the arc, hitting four three-point goals and finishing with 18 points. Girls MVP Maria Paulino added 11 for Academy, which finished second in the Guam girls basketball season.

“We wanted our redemption, so we just played our hardest up here,” Ada said of closing the season on a winning note.

Guam’s girls season runs from late October to late December, while the boys season is just starting.

St. Mary's Towa Miyoshi tries to shoot against Father Duenas' David Del Carmen in the boys final. (Mayu Ono/Special to Stripes)

St. Mary's Ren Nishioka shoots against Father Duenas' Tristan Hahn in the boys final. (Mayu Ono/Special to Stripes)

Father Duenas' David Del Carmen drives to the basket past St. Mary's Yujiro Kato in the boys final. (Mayu Ono/Special to Stripes)

Father Duenas’ David Del Carmen drives through the St. Mary’s defense to the basket in the boys final. (Mayu Ono/Special to Stripes)