Maria Paulino dropped 20 points and pulled 17 boards to lead the Stingrays Basketball Club to a 56-53 victory, earning MVP honors and a championship for her club at the 2024 19U Laguna Invitationals in Calamba, Philippines.
“It was a great team effort all around. Some players played through injuries, and we all played our roles,” said the senior guard from Academy of our Lady of Guam. “We pulled it together in the championship game and everyone left it all out on the court.”
The championship game was a redemption win as the Stingrays got to go head to head with the only team that beat them all tournament. Relentless Youth is a 19U club team made up of collegiate athletes in the Manila area.
In their first matchup, Relentless Youth cruised to a 20-point win against the Stingrays. But the championship matchup was a grind it out slugfest as the lead was never more than three the entire game with both teams one upping each other every trip down court.
In the final minutes of the fourth, Relentless held a slight 3-point lead, but tough defense led to key baskets down the stretch for the Stingrays to eke out the three-point win and claim the coveted crown.
In addition to championship MVP, Paulino was named all-tournament for defense and offense. Junior guards Gabreahnna Hahn and Madeleine Ada also earned all tournament nods. Hahn, who finished with 13 points and 15 boards in the ship, was named to the all-tournament defensive team. Ada, who dropped 19 points and pulled 12 boards, was named to the Mythical 5 on offense.
The invitational in Laguna featured college and club teams from the area, giving the Guam athletes an opportunity to see new styles of play. The Stingrays basketball Club is composed of athletes from four different schools – Academy, George Washington, John F. Kennedy and Simon Sanchez high schools. The tournament was an opportunity for the athletes prepare for their upcoming season.
The tournament was a good experience, Paulino said, adding “the best thing about our experience was meeting new players and having an opportunity to play ball together traveling with girls from different schools in Guam.”
Each game was an opportunity for each athlete to grow, said Paulino who also spent this past summer representing Guam in Majuro at the Micronesian Games.
“We didn’t have a ton of time to build chemistry, but the more we played, the more we figured each other out,” she said. “Their style of play was quicker and more physical. We played against some other teams, which were a bit bigger and had more experience. Overall, it tested our abilities personally and as a team.”
Team Roster
Madeleine Ada
Kaia Chiguina
Cassidy Guerrero
Gabreahnna Hahn
Cheyanna Movida
Maria Paulino
Aleya Roberto
Khloe Shimizu
Audrey Shinohara
Zoe Shinohara
Maya Torre
QUICK HITS
