La Salle Greenhills takes early lead, dominates University of San Carlos and University of Visayas in SBP-Passerelle National Championships
Nationwide interschool basketball league wraps with double win for LSGH
ROXAS CITY, December 2012– The young cagers of La Salle Greenhills (LSGH) bagged double victories at the Small Basketeers Philippines (SBP) – Passerelle Twin Tournament National Finals Sunday in Capiz Gym, Roxas City. LSGH reasserted their dominance in the Passerelle division court and created an 83-77 advantage over the University of Visayas (UV).
In the first quarter, LSGH drove winning shots to the home court and managed a slim lead against its Visayan rival. The Baby Lancers showed more composure in the following set, with Frederick Pasturan (#13) and Gerald Fernandez (#6) leading the rally to keep pace with the opposing team’s solid defense. UV’s Lyder Cañeso (#10) put away an impressive 3-pointer that earned the Bisdaks their first lead of the match.
However, LSGH did not waste any time to post a wider margin until the last 45 seconds of the match. The Baby Lancers steered the ball to their favor, but LSGH’s Michael De la Cruz (#9) launched a solid 3-pointer to dismiss its rival’s bid for the crown.
The clash between NCR and Visayas resumed in the SBP division finals, as LSGH and University of San Carlos (USC) fired off impressive attempts to nab the coveted tournament title. LSGH ruled the SBP division with a massive 11-point lead against tough contender USC, ending the match in the Junior Archers’ favor, 60-49.
Setting the pace for the Junior Archers were Miguel Santos (#9) and Joseph Nepomuceno (#5) whose swift efforts resulted to an impressive 10-point lead in the first quarter of the match. USC struggled to keep a close distance throughout the thrilling match, but LSGH’s full court pressure denied USC the ball.
An action-packed play unfolded in the last two minutes of the game, as LSGH stunned USC with two notable steals that put the latter’s run to a halt. Shan Exequiel Vesagas (#19) stole the ball at the 20-second mark and put away an easy 2-pointer to lead the Junior Archers to an on-court triumph.
The Holy Child School of Davao secured the 3rd place spot in the Passerelle division bout when it edged Holy Angel University in a close fight, 59-57. Ateneo de Davao University leveraged the Don Bosco Academy, 60 – 57, completing the SBP division top 3 cast.
“Held in line with MILO’s commitment to build champions in sports and in life, the BEST Center’s SBP – Passerelle twin tournament furthers a shared vision of promoting sports from the grassroots level and developing the country’s next generation of basketball heroes,” said Robbie de Vera, MILO sports executive, Nestle Philippines.
Both MILO and BEST Center endeavor to provide opportunities for budding young athletes to show their athletic prowess and succeed in life.
MILO and BEST Center have jointly and independently received awards and citations, including their respective Hall of Fame trophies from the Philippine Sportswriters Association’s (PSA) and the Olympism Award by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).
For more details, please log on to the BEST Center Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/BEST-Center-Sports-Inc/66172039922.
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