St. Jude Catholic School and St. Peter the Apostle School completed the semifinal cast in the 45-and-above division of the Fil-Chinese Athletic Association Inc. (FCAAI) Basketball Tournament with victories over their respective rivals on Friday, Oct. 16, at the Tanduay Gym in Quiapo, Manila.
Backed by Serious Player Only, St. Jude outlasted OSK Tools USA-St. Stephen’s High School in a thrilling finish, 53-50, to arrange a knockout semifinal showdown with defending champion Grace Christian School on Monday, Oct. 19.
Meanwhile, Metro Asia-SPAS leaned on a strong second-quarter attack to subdue Premium Feeds-Chiang Kai Shek College, 58-52, and set up a mouth-watering semifinal clash with Xavier School.
The tournament is supported by Smart Sports, Tanduay Athletics, Genius Hardware, Ultraforce Tires, Cellboy, PGFlex Linoleum, Boysen, Lamtex Pipes, Jiang Nan, Hangry Pares, Powerhouse Tools, L.F. Fireworks, BYD Valenzuela, BAIC, Jetour, Yong Kee Roasting House, 1118 Autospa, and TCL.
The Finals, a best-of-three series, begins on Friday, Oct. 23.
(C) FCAAI
Jeffrey Uy led St. Jude with 23 points, including a pressure-packed free throw that broke a 46-all deadlock. Aldrich Chua followed with a triple on the ensuing possession to give St. Jude some breathing room.
Chua and Reagan Lim finished with seven points apiece, while Patterson Ngo and Iven Ngo paced St. Stephen’s with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
As expected, Adrianne Wong shone brightest for SPAS, tallying 16 points and seven rebounds. He received ample support from Kerby Chua, who chipped in 12 points.
