Xavier School took center stage as it arranged a finals showdown with Hope Christian High School after both teams dominated their respective semifinal assignments in the Smart Sports Fil-Chinese Athletic Association Inc. tournament presented by Tanduay Athletics, held recently at the Tanduay Gym in Quiapo, Manila.
The Stallions delivered a statement victory, dismantling Cellboy-St. Stephen’s, 94-61, behind a monster all-around performance from former MPBL MVP Gab Banal.
The McDavid x Windsor-backed squad leaned on Banal’s brilliance, as he tallied 23 points, 21 rebounds, and 11 assists to power Xavier into the championship round.
Providing ample support, Kyles Lao added 17 points, while Mark Chan and Jarell Lim chipped in 17 and 11 points, respectively, in a dominant team effort.
On the other side, top-seeded Hope Christian High School, backed by Al Cars, cruised past New Fortune Mansion Seafoods Restaurant–Chiang Kai Shek College, 82-72, behind the hot shooting of Jobert Mercado and Janrey Garrido.
Mercado and Garrido sparked an early breakaway that set the tone for Hope, which built a lead as large as 23 points, 75-52, before easing up in the final four minutes.
Mercado finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, and three assists off the bench, while Garrido contributed 16 points and four boards. Their win spoiled a 34-point explosion from Karl Villaflor.
The best-of-three championship series between Xavier and Hope begins on Monday, April 20.
In the 50-and-above division, Xavier School-Emerald also advanced to the finals after edging St. Stephen’s, 44-41. Meanwhile, Hope Christian-Premium Feeds forced a rubber match against Grace Christian College-Hyundai Home Appliances with a 48-40 victory, powered by Jessie Angchonghoo and Domingo Chung Li, who scored 10 points apiece, while Howie Evangelista added seven.
The deciding game of this tournament 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, Oedo, 1118 Autospa, and TCL is set for Wednesday, April 15.
