Fajardo & Manatí pick up wins in BSNF

Geovana Ríos scored 10 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and helped spark a late rally as the Cariduras of Fajardo defeated the Monarcas of Juana Díaz in a Women’s Superior National Basketball league game on Wednesday night.

By THE STAR STAFF

The Cariduras of Fajardo and the Atenienses of Manatí both notched victories on Wednesday night in the Women’s Superior National Basketball (BSNF by its initials in Spanish) league’s young season.

Fajardo (1-1) mounted a late rally to defeat the Monarcas of Juana Díaz 66-61 at Tomás Dones Coliseum in Fajardo.

The game entered its final minutes with the Monarcas (0-2) leading 58-54. At that point, the Cariduras’ Geovana Ríos stepped up. Ríos, who scored 10 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in the game, hauled in one of those caroms and converted it into two points, narrowing the score to 58-56. Paola Hernández of the Monarcas answered with a left-handed hook shot, making the score 60-56.

Then, Angel Jackson grabbed a rebound for Fajardo and was fouled while going up for a shot. Jackson sank both free throws, making it 60-58. This set the stage for a big three-pointer by import player Madeline Burke with 1:40 remaining, giving the Cariduras a 61-60 lead.

Jackson’s defensive effort in the closing stages of the game also deserves mention, as she recorded two crucial blocked shots.

With 1:12 left on the clock, Ríos went to the free-throw line, where she made the first attempt but missed the second. Fajardo retained possession and on the ensuing play, Zaida González drove to the basket, stopped, and hit a jump shot for two points, extending the lead to 64-60.

At the other end, the Monarcas’ Imani McGee grabbed a rebound and was fouled on the play, sending her to the free-throw line. McGee missed the first attempt then sank the second to make it a one-possession game as the clock wound down. With time set to expire, Mya Hollingshed sank two free throws that sealed the five-point victory for the Cariduras.

Hollingshed was the standout performer for the Cariduras with 17 points and nine rebounds. González, in her debut for Fajardo, recorded 13 points, five rebounds and three assists. 

The Monarcas’ Tess Amundsen led all scorers with 21 points, followed by McGee with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Atenienses of Manatí picked up their first win of the season, defeating the Cangrejeras of Santurce 91-74 at Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Hato Rey.

Kaela Hilaire (21 points), Chelsea Mitchell (21 points) and Pamela Rosado (16 points) of Manatí combined for 58 points and 10 three-pointers for the game. Destiny Harden and Abeliz Rodríguez added 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Import player Shae Kelley scored 37 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Cangrejeras in a losing effort. Teana Muldrow added 12 points and 6 rebounds.