La Consolacion College Manila began its quest for a fifth consecutive championship in the Inter-Scholastic Athletic Association (ISAA) with a 64-53 victory over World City College on Monday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
The Blue Royals, supported by Demigod, Pureblends, Uratex, A-Game, and Infinite Basketball, kicked off the season under a new coaching staff led by Raymond Valenzona, with former players Paul Lee and Eric Salamat also joining the him as his deputies.
The new system implemented by the defending ISAA champions paid dividends in their opener as every Blue Royal player who took the court contributed at least a point.
Christian Alonzo led the charge with 14 points, five rebounds, three assists, and a steal, while John Raphael Trinidad added nine points.
Kenneth Castillo and John Michael Urmeneta chipped in with eight points each, with Castillo also securing eight rebounds.
(C) Earl Ramos
Other teams that celebrated opening-day victories included Philippine Women’s University, St. Dominic College of Asia, and Manila Tytana Colleges.
The Patriots edged out the ICCT Colleges Blue Dragons with a 68-62 win, the Pikemen narrowly defeated the Treston Golden Lions 58-50, and the Titans triumphed over the University of Asia and the Pacific Dragons, 69-60.
The trio of John Matthew Espiritu (17 points), Eulhicel Bajet (16 points, 10 rebounds), and Alfred Kyle Ysibido (15 points, five rebounds, five assists) led the way for Philippine Women’s University, who are also part of the UCAL.
For St. Dominic College, Michael Angelo Sosing and Edward Daquioag were instrumental in their victory, each scoring 15 points, with Daquioag also grabbing 11 rebounds.
John Gabriel Magdaluyo stood out for the Titans, finishing with 19 points.
Meanwhile, Manila Tytana’s victory came despite the impressive 26-point performance by UA&P standout Travis Cole Batino, while Melvin Katipunan’s 24-point game for ICCT also went for naught.
