Mark Jade Sarza led the way with a 13-point explosion in the opening quarter, including back-to-back triples, as Centro Escolar University defeated defending champion Olivarez College, 83-75, to secure the top seed for the semifinals of the PGFlex-UCAL Season 8 Basketball Tournament on Thursday at Paco Arena.
In a complete turnaround from their 84-81 loss to the Sea Lions earlier in the elimination round, the Scorpions — powered by Sarza, Christ Jay Singson, and Precious Momowei — led from start to finish, finishing the two-part eliminations with a 10-1 record.
During their first encounter, the Scorpions trailed for most of the game before 6-foot-9 Momowei sparked a decisive 8-1 run to secure the win.
Despite the loss, Olivarez College also advanced outright to the semifinals. Like the Scorpions, they will enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage after posting the second-best record at 8-3.
Philippine Christian University–Dasmariñas and Lyceum of the Philippines University–Batangas both finished with 6-5 records, but PCU-D secured the No. 3 seed due to the head-to-head tiebreaker rule.
In other games, Immaculada Concepcion College closed its campaign with a 96-81 rout of Manila Central University. Meanwhile, University of Batangas narrowly outlasted the Philippine Women’s University Patriots, 78-74.
Behind the hot shooting of Sarza and Singson, the Scorpions opened the game with a commanding 31-15 lead at the end of the first quarter, a margin they managed to protect despite Olivarez’s spirited rallies.
Sarza and Singson shared scoring honors with 17 points each, while Geric Canete and Momowei contributed 15 and 11 points, respectively. Momowei also fell just two assists shy of a triple-double.
After a disappointing 76-79 loss to Lyceum on March 19, Momowei grabbed 15 rebounds in this game, showcasing his dominance on the boards.
The league will take a Holy Week break and return on April 6 for the quarterfinals, with the winners set to face CEU and Olivarez.
