Centro Escolar University clinched the first finals berth, while Philippine Christian University-Dasmariñas stayed alive in the PG Flex-UCAL Season 8 Basketball Tournament on Monday at the Paco Arena in Manila.
The top-seeded Scorpions leaned on the hot shooting of Mark Jade Sarza to secure a vengeful 82-75 win over the Lyceum of the Philippines University-Batangas Pirates, booking a chance to reclaim the crown they surrendered last season to Olivarez College.
Meanwhile, the PCU-D Dolphins drew another inspired performance from JayR Pronda to stun No. 2 seed Olivarez Sea Lions, 78-75, and force a do-or-die match in their semifinal series.
Sarza delivered a double-double of 24 points and 11 rebounds, along with two assists and a steal, in a performance that powered CEU to its fifth finals appearance. The Scorpions have now won four of their five finals appearances — the most by any school in the league.
Sarza also outshone Precious Momowei, who was limited to just seven points and six rebounds. The former UE standout also committed five turnovers.
(C) UCAL
Like CEU, Olivarez entered the game armed with a twice-to-beat advantage after finishing No. 2, but it was PCU-D that made the crucial plays down the stretch.
Coming off a 22-point outing in their 103-73 win over Manila Central University last week, Pronda fired 24 points, including a gutsy driving layup that broke a 68-all deadlock with less than two minutes remaining.
He capped off his heroics by sinking all four of his free throws, with the last two stretching their lead to 78-72 with just nine seconds left. Angus Geronimo and Alvin Reyes also provided steady support with 16 and 15 points, respectively, as Olivarez wasted Rodel Renon’s 26-point effort.
The knockout match of the tournament — also backed by Akari, Advance Solutions Inc., Smart Sports, Spalding, Quintana Sports, Crane Faucet, Hapee Toothpaste, CafeFrance, Vital, TopFlite Academy, Maruyama, Gerry’s Grill, Mighty Bond, and Undftd Sportswear — is set on Thursday at the same venue.
