Hope Christian High School asserted complete dominance over Xavier School, capturing the 30–39 division crown of the Smart Sports Fil-Chinese Athletic Association Inc. Basketball Tournament presented by Tanduay Athletics on Thursday, April 30, at the FilOil Centre in San Juan City.
In a matchup that revived memories of their storied high school rivalry, it was Al Cars-backed Hope Christian that showed the poise of a true champion, holding its ground in a pulsating 78–76 victory in the deciding Game 3 of their title series.
The championship capped off a successful campaign for Hope Christian, which earlier also ruled the 50-and-above division.
There, Howie Evangelista, Jessie Angchonghoo, and Engelbert Tan combined forces to complete a two-game sweep of Xavier, finishing the series with a 57–54 win last Monday.
Evangelista was named season MVP in the 50-and-above category and added Finals MVP honors after delivering 18 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in Game 2.
In the 30–39 division, Tzaddy Rangel and Carl Sumalacay led the charge for the younger Hope Christian squad. Rangel posted 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Sumalacay took Finals MVP honors after key clutch baskets on his way to a 17-point performance.
John Apacible and Game 1 scoring leader Jobert Mercado also provided steady support, finishing with 10 points each. Apacible added 13 rebounds, highlighting his all-around impact throughout the contest.
As expected, Game 3 was tightly contested, but momentum shifted to Hope Christian after Apacible broke a 34-all deadlock late in the second quarter. From there, Hope built as much as a 10-point cushion and managed to withstand Xavier’s late rally.
Xavier’s Kyles Lao was named season MVP in the 30–39 division and also earned a spot in the Mythical Selection alongside teammates Mark Chan and Tim Cu, Kish Co of St. Stephen’s, and St. Jude’s Kim Lo.
Hope took Game 1, 72–67, before Xavier responded with an 82–65 win in Game 2 behind Gab Banal to force the rubber match.
Lao and Phoenix coach Charles Tiu paced Xavier with 22 points apiece, while Banal struggled in Game 3, finishing with just six points on 2-of-13 shooting.
In the 50s division, Evangelista and Angchonghoo headlined the Mythical Selection, joined by Xavier’s Royd Tan, Christopher Co of St. Jude, and Dexter Quan.
The tournament was backed by Genius Hardware, Ultraforce Tires, Cellboy, PGFlex Linoleum, Boysen, Lamtex Pipes, Jiang Nan, Hangry Pares, Powerhouse Tools, L.F. Fireworks, BYD Valenzuela, BAIC, Jetour, Oedo, 1118 Autospa, and TCL.
