Isabela tops Santurce 73-72 in BSNF thriller
Ponce, Hatillo & Manatí also notch wins
By THE STAR STAFF
The Pollitas of Isabela, Leonas of Ponce, Ganaderas of Hatillo and Atenienses of Manatí all earned victories on Wednesday night in the Women’s Superior National Basketball (BSNF by its initials in Spanish) league.
At Roberto Clemente Coliseum in Hato Rey, Isabela defeated the Cangrejeras of Santurce 73-72 in a thrilling contest -- decided on the game’s final possession -- that extended the first-place Pollitas’ winning streak to six, while Santurce suffered its fourth-straight loss.
The game reached a critical juncture when the Pollitas’ Nina de León missed a shot just as the shot clock expired, with 1:14 remaining and Isabela leading 71-69. Santurce secured the rebound and immediately called a timeout. Following the break, the Pollitas defended aggressively but Kiara Leslie managed to hit a spectacular three-pointer as the shot clock wound down, giving the Cangrejeras their first lead of the night, 72-71, with 50 seconds left.
Isabela called a timeout and drew up a play. On the ensuing inbounds, the Pollitas used a screen to free up Quionche “Che” Carter, who exploited the opening to drive to the basket for a layup and a 73-72 lead for Isabela with 33 seconds left on the clock.
Tension mounted when, with 14 seconds remaining and the Cangrejeras working for a shot, the ball came loose, leading to a scramble on the floor as several players fought for possession. The referees signaled a jump ball; Santurce retained possession and called a timeout to set up their final offensive play. Leslie inbounded the ball, but a personal foul forced the Cangrejeras to restart play from the baseline. This time, Alanis Ventura found Shae Kelley under the basket, but her tightly defended attempt missed the rim and the Pollitas secured the rebound, sealing the victory.
Emily Kiser led Isabela (11-3) with a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds, while also dishing out seven assists. Carter also stood out, recording 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Kelley led the Cangrejeras (8-6) with 24 points.
Elsewhere, fueled by an extraordinary offensive performance from Micah Gray and a balanced team effort that saw five players reach double figures in scoring, the Leonas pulled off an upset on the road against the Criollas of Caguas, winning 87-81.
Ponce also got 19 points from their bench to move into seventh place in the league standings.
Micah Gray led Ponce (5-8) with 26 points and six rebounds.
Taylor Robertson’s 23 points led Caguas (9-5)
At Francisco Deida Coliseum in Hatillo, the Ganaderas, fueled by 48 combined points from Doniyah Cliney and Dontavia Waggoner, won their second straight, defeating the Explosivas of Moca 76-68.
Hatillo went 2-0 this season against Moca, which suffered its third-straight loss.
Dontavia Waggoner led Hatillo (3-11) with a double-double -- 28 points and 11 rebounds -- while Doniyah Cliney added 20 points.
Kharyssa Richardson led Moca (4-9) with a double-double of her own, 22 points and 16 rebounds.
In Fajardo meanwhile, powered by 33-point contribution from the bench and a stellar performance by rookie Abeliz Rodríguez, the Atenienses thumped the host Cariduras 72-47 at Tomás Dones Coliseum.
Rodríguez led the way with 19 points as third-place Manatí improved to 9-3, and Chelsea Mitchell had 14 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
Talia Von Oelhoffen led Fajardo (3-11) with 14 points and five rebounds.
