St. Stephen’s High School and Grace Christian College completed the semifinal cast in the 40-and-Above Division of the Fil-Chinese Athletic Association Inc. after posting contrasting quarterfinal victories recently at the Tanduay Gym in Quiapo.
Steered by multi-titled coach Goldwin Monteverde, third-seeded SCAG-St. Stephen’s escaped with a thrilling 58-55 victory over the Big Chill-backed Chiang Kai Shek College behind the heroics of Christian Luanzon, Harley Ng, and Jasper Go.
Grace Christian College, meanwhile, had a much easier path, cruising to a 69-52 triumph over Eastern Communications-Philippine Cultural College. The GT Radial-backed squad advanced to a semifinal showdown against top seed and defending champion Lamtex Pipes-Arks Mantica Hua Siong College.
St. Stephen’s, which drew a game-high 18 points from Luanzon, earned a semifinal clash with AcroCity-backed Xavier School.
The semifinal games were being played at press time, with the James Yap-led Hua Siong College and Xavier, bannered by Chris Tiu and Joseph Yeo, each needing just one victory to set up a championship rematch.
Allan Anson Tan scored 16 points to lead Grace Christian College’s balanced offensive attack, while Alfie Martinez paced Philippine Cultural College with 24 points in the loss.
Luanzon capped his stellar performance with a clutch three-pointer that knotted the score at 53-all. Ng finished with eight points, while Jasper Go added 11 points and nine rebounds, delivering key baskets and defensive stops down the stretch to secure St. Stephen’s hard-fought victory.
The nine-school league is 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, Yong Kee Roasting House, 1118 Autospa, and TCL.
