SMART City Hoops concluded the Bobby Lutuaco Cup in style as four champions were crowned over the last weekend.
In the Under-16 division, Maclaude Guadana and the Lyceum-Cavite Junior Pirates stamped their class with a 78-39 romp of the San Sebastian Junior Stags, last Saturday at the Greenhills West Gym in San Juan City.
A strong 26-8 start paved the way for Lyceum’s dominant outing. In the final 10 minutes of the contest, the Junior Pirates shut down their opponents, limiting them to just a solitary point for the 39-point rout.
Guadana, a member of the Batang Gilas team that won gold in the 2017 SEABA Championship, tallied 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Tournament Most Valuable Player CJ Austria had 17 points and nine rebounds but had no support from his teammates whatsoever.
For 14-under division, JC Macalalag knocked down the insurance bucket that paved the way for the La Salle Greenies’ 57-56 win over heated rivals Nazarene School of National University Bullpups.
Macalalag, who had 14 points, six rebounds, and six assists in the contest, converted on a lay-up with 36 seconds left but Jacob Militar was able to answer right back with a quick two.
With just 18 seconds left, Liham dela Cruz was forced to a costly turnover that returned possession to the Bullpups. As expected, tournament MVP Kenji Duremdes took the last shot with 2.6 seconds left but his shot missed.
Ken Padrones also had 14 points and 12 rebounds for La Salle while Kyle Rivera tallied 13 markers and 15 boards.
Kim Tamayo paced NU with 17 points. Duremdes had 15 points, four rebounds, and two blocks.
The Paolo Rodriguez-led Xavier School Stallions copped the under-12 championship with a 59-48 win over the Ateneo Blue Eaglets while Gian Gomez and the Lyceum Baby Pirates completed a golden double, taking a 54-35 win over Xavier in the under-10 category.
SMART City Hoops is presented by SMART Sports, Chooks-to-Go, and Wilson Basketball.
The league will once again open its curtains on April 7 with the Summer Classic. The tournament will have seven divisions, 25U, 19U, 17U, 15U, 13U, 12U, and 10U.
