Everything and Anything about Tiong Lian

2012 TL ALL-STAR SELECTION NAMED

By Henry L. Liao

The 13-man Tiong Lian All-Star selection to the Taiwan exhibition games next month has been determined.

Making the team are Tiong Lian Finals MVP John Kevin Baytan, Carlo Young, Wilson Bartolome, John Paul Nieles and Kimlee Bayquin from champion Chiang Kai Shek College, King Benemerito and Don Louis Mendoza of back-to-back runner-up Hope Christian High School, Jason Ligad of fourth-place St. Jude Catholic School, Philipp Glendale Licaros of Uno High School, Pierre Tyron Chan and Matthan Michael Yu of St. Stephen's High School, and Lanz Tan and Kevin Lao of Grace Christian College.

Head coach is CKSC's Goldwin Monteverde.

Xavier School, which ranked third in this year's competitions, has no representative after three-time Tiong Lian MVP Jeron Teng declined to make the trip due to previous commitments. Teng is set to play for De La Salle University in the UAAP in July.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2011-12 MMTLBA SEASON

By Henry L. Liao

Before the 42nd renewal of the Metro Manila Tiong Lian Basketball Association tournament becomes a part of its tradition-steeped history, here are some highlights from the season past.

In the Year of the Dragon, Chiang Kai Shek College made a clean sweep of the championships at stake in the Juniors, Aspirants and Girls High School divisions. The unprecedented feat is unlikely to happen again for a long, long time. That’s because some of seven member schools do not even have a girls’ team and perennial powerhouse Xavier School caters exclusively to male students.

Hope Christian High School, which entered the best-of-three Finals againt CKSC with an unbeaten 7-0 record, was the first No. 1 seed not to capture the title series since 2008. That year, CKSC swept the elimination and semifinal segments for a 7-0 mark but dropped a 2-1 decision to No. 2 Xavier School in the Finals. Bannered by the dynamic duo of Jeric Teng and Gabriel Banal, the Golden Stallions stole Game One then completed the downfall of then-senior Justin Chua and the Blue Dragons with a convincing victory in the decisive third game.

The Tiong Lian Board selected the league’s Most Valuable Player from a list of seven outstanding student-athletes – one from each of the member schools. An MVP candidate must not only possess superior basketball skills but also be academically competent. He should also come from a Final Four school. Disqualified are players who have failing grades and flunked a school year (a repeater). Likewise, players who were thrown out of a game for unsportsmanlike conduct were not eligibile for MVP consideration.

The Magnificent Seven for the 2011-12 TL season were Rodney Gonzales of host Grace Christian College, Evan Ong of St. Stephen’s High School, Janrey Garrido of Hope Christian High School, Philipp Glendale Licaros of Uno High School, John Paul Nieles of Triple Crown winner Chiang Kai Shek College, Jason Ligad of St. Jude Catholic School and Jeron Teng of Xavier School.

Even though Xavier School failed to defend the Juniors crown it held for the past four years – having placed just third this season – Teng claimed his third straight MVP hardware to set a league record. The son of former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) strongman Alvin Teng became the first TL player ever to earn MVP honors three times, consecutively or not.

Jeron, who turns 18 on March 21, also snared the league scoring crown for the third year in a row.

This past campaign, Teng hit at a 30.9-point clip in nine assignments. The 6-3 shooting guard had a pair of 50-point performances – a career second-best 58 vs. St. Stephen’s High School (Jan. 20, 119-56) and 50 vs. Grace Christian College (Feb. 3, 126-49) – in which he singlehandedly beat the Golden Stallions’ opponents.

In his four TL years with the XS Juniors, Teng won three titles and collected 1,215 points in 43 games for a 28.3-point career average. He torched Grace Christian College for 104 points in a 164-74 victory on Jan. 5, 2011 to become the first and only high school player in PH basketball history to score in triple figures in a single game. With the unprecedented feat, Teng will be among the five youthful athletes to receive the Antonio Siddayao Award during the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Annual Awards Night on March 3 at the Manila Hotel.

St. Jude Catholic School’s Jason Ligad ranked second in the TL scoring race during the 2011-12 wars, averaging 24.8 ppg for the fourth-place Judenites of rookie head coach Cholo Villanueva, who was a member of De La Salle University’s 2007 UAAP title unit. Like Teng, the reed-thin Ligad has completed his high school eligibility.

Rounding out the top five in point production were Xavier School’s Kyles Lao (21.l ppg), a member of the PH national team to the 2011 FIBA Asia Under-16 tournament; champion Chiang Kai Shek College’s John Kevin Baytan, 17.0 ppg; and St. Stephen’s High School’s Pierre Chan, 14.6 ppg.

Teng (third league-best 12.1 rpg) was among the four players that registered a double-double in points and rebounds. The others were Baytan (10.5 rpg), Grace Christian College’s Rodney Gonzales (12.0 ppg/league-leading 14.2 rpg), and Uno High School’s Ryan Lim (10.3 ppg/league second-best 13.7 rpg).

CKSC: A MMTLBA CHAMPION THRICE OVER IN THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON

By Henry L. Liao

A Triple Crown in the Year of the Dragon it was for the Chiang Kai Shek College Blue Dragons in the 42nd Metro Manila Tiong Lian Basketball Association competitions as they romped away with the championships in all three divisions – Juniors (for players age 19 and below), Aspirants (for players age 14 and below) and Girls High School.

Last Thursday, CKSC completed its Cinderella-like season when it grabbed the third jewel in its Triple Crown quest with a masterful 75-63 decision (36-25 halftime) over top seed but hard-luck Hope Christian High School for a stunning 2-0 sweep of the best-of-three Juniors Division Finals at the Uno High School gym in Tondo, Manila.

Significantly, first-year CKSC head coach Goldwin Monteverde utilized just eight players in that game, with substitute frontliners Jibon Daniel Larin and John Wilhelm Lee each scoring two points on just nine and five minutes, respectively.

In the title-series opener Monday night, CKSC whipped HCHS, 79-75, to pull its opponent out of the unblemished ranks after seven consecutive victories in the six-week competitions.

During the semifinals, the third-seeded Blue Dragons overcame a twice-to-beat disadvantage against second-seeded Xavier School with a pair of victories – an 83-76 win in their initial encounter and an emphatic 70-50 decision in the series-decider.

Effectively, coach Goldwin Monteverde’s charges dethroned the Golden Stallions, who last season set a league record by winning their fourth straight Juniors crown.

In the Finals, CKSC skipper John Kevin Baytan collected 22 points, five rebounds and two assists in Game One and 12 scores, 13 boards, two feeds and two steals in Game Two. Deservedly so, the 6-3 swingman, with averages of 17.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.5 apg and 1.0 spg, was named the Finals’ Most Valuable Player.

Three other Blue Dragons averaged in double-digit scores – four-position backup Kimlee Bayquin and starting guards John Paul Nieles and Carlo Young.

Bayquin, who like Nieles and Young hails from Bacolod City, normed 14.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 26.0 minutes of reserve service during the two-game championship series. In the finale, the versatile 6-footer knocked in three of his six three-point attempts (5-for-10 from the field overall) and totaled 16 markers off the bench.

Nieles contributed Finals averages of 13.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.5 apg and 1.5 spg. The cat-quick 5-4 playmaker chalked up 17 points, four boards, four assists and three steals in his final Tiong Lian appearance.

Young also normed 13.0 points along with 7.0 rpg and 4.5 apg in the Finals. In the series clincher, the 5-9 junior swingman shot 6-for-11 from the field (including 2-for-4 from the trifecta area) en route to a game-high 21-point effort in 39 minutes. He played the entire second half and accounted for 15 of CKSC’s 39-point output in the final half.

Wilson Bartolome, a 6-6 junior in his first year with the Blue Dragons, came up with 11 blocks (6-5) in the Finals. The 17-year-old native of Cavite City also contributed 9.0 ppg and 7.5 rpg.

Joshua Tan averaged 8.5 points and 2.0 blocks in the championship series. The 5-8 southpaw swingman had 17 points and three blocks in Game One – including four threes and a rare four-point play (a three-pointer and a free throw following a fouled attempt) at the start of the second quarter – but was held scoreless in the second game when he misfired on all of his seven field attempts.

Other members of this year’s CKSC’s Juniors squad – the first to capture the crown since 2007 – are Dale Dy, Dwight Earl Mopas, Jherson Jake San Agustin, Jae Keenan Yap, Jayson Jimenez and Jef Denzell Go.

Baytan, Nieles, San Agustin and Lee have completed their Tiong Lian eligibility.

With the Finals’ win, Monteverde claimed his sixth overall TL Juniors title as a head coach. Previously, he steered St. Stephen’s High School to five championships in 1996, 1999, 2000, 2004 and 2005. Monteverde also steered St. Jude Catholic School to a pair of Finals stint (2009 and 2010) during his six-year stint (2006-2011) with the Mendiola-based school.

Monteverde, whose CKSC coaching staff includes Fredino Atienza, John Sia and Jun Tiongco, is the second-winningest Juniors coach in TL annals.

Pioneer Philippine Basketball Association veteran Sunny Co, now a CKS team consultant, holds the all-time league mark with seven Juniors titles – 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992 and 2007 – all with the Blue Dragons.

2011-12 MMTLBA TOURNAMENT

JUNIORS DIVISION

FINAL STATISTICAL LEADERS

SCORING

1-Jeron Teng, Xavier School, 9 games, 278 points, 30.9 ppg

2-Jason Ligad, St. Jude Catholic School, 8 games, 198 points, 24.8 ppg

3-Kyles Lao, Xavier School, 9 games, 190 points, 21.1 ppg

4-John Kevin Baytan, Chiang Kai Shek College, 11 games, 187 points, 17.0 ppg

5-Pierre Chan, Ste. Stephen’s HS, 7 games, 102 points, 14.6 ppg

6-Rodney Gonzales, Grace Christian College, 6 games, 72 points, 12.0 ppg

7-Carlo Young, Chiang Kai Shek College, 10 games, 119 points, 11.9 ppg

8-Philipp Licaros, Uno HS, 7 games, 80 points, 11.4 ppg

9-Kevin Ng, St. Stephen’s HS, 7 games, 78 points, 11.1 ppg

10-Paolo Cabero, Xavier School, 9 games, 94 points, 10.4 ppg

11-Ryan Lim, Uno HS, 7 games, 72 points, 10.3 ppg

12-Joel Chang, St. Jude Catholic School, 8 games, 81 points, 10.1 ppg

13-Richard Sy, St. Jude Catholic School, 8 games, 81 points, 10.1 ppg

14-John Paul Nieles, Chiang Kai Shek College, 11 games, 106 points, 9.6 ppg

15-Kimlee Bayquin, Chiang Kai Shek College, 10 games, 94 points, 9.4 ppg

16-Clint Doliquez, Hope Christian HS, 9 games, 84 points, 9.3 ppg

17-Joshua Tan, Chiang Kai Shek College, 11 games, 101 points, 9.2 ppg

18-Don Mendoza, Hope Christian HS, 9 games, 81 points, 9.0 ppg

19-Lanz Tan, Grace Christian College, 6 games, 54 points, 9.0 ppg

20-King Benemerito, Hope Christian HS, 9 games, 77 points, 8.6 ppg

21-Janrey Garrido, Hope Christian HS, 9 games, 77 points, 8.6 ppg

REBOUNDING

1-Rodney Gonzales, Grace Christian College, 6 games, 85 rebounds, 14.2 rpg

2-Ryan Lim, Uno HS, 7 games, 96 rebounds, 13.7 rpg

3-Jeron Teng, Xavier School, 9 games, 109 rebounds, 12.1 rpg

4-John Kevin Baytan, Chiang Kai Shek College, 11 games, 115 rebounds, 10.5 rpg

5-Richard Sy, St. Jude Catholic School, 8 games, 76 rebounds, 9.5 rpg

6-Clint Doliquez, Hope Christian HS, 9 games, 76 rebounds, 8.4 rpg

7-Adrian Te, St. Stephen’s HS, 6 games, 50 rebounds, 8.3 rpg

8-Christian Errol Villar, Hope Christian HS, 9 games, 71 rebounds, 7.9 rpg

9-Donald Felbaum, Xavier School, 6 games, 47 rebounds, 7.8 rpg

10-King Benemerito, Hope Christian HS, 9 games, 66 rebounds, 7.3 rpg

ASSISTS

1-Paolo Cabero, Xavier School, 9 games, 51 assists, 5.7 apg

2-John Paul Nieles, Chiang Kai Shek College, 11 games, 53 assists, 4.8 apg

3-Jeron Teng, Xavier School, 9 games, 41 assists, 4.6 apg

4-Evan Ong, St. Stephen’s HS, 7 games, 27 assists, 3.9 apg

5-Philipp Licaros, Uno HS, 7 games, 25 assists, 3.6 apg

6-Jason Ligad, St. Jude Catholic School, 8 games, 27 assists, 3.4 apg

7-Cholo Claver, Grace Christian College, 7 games, 22 assists, 3.1 apg

8-Kyles Lao, Xavier School, 9 games, 26 assists, 2.9 apg

9-Don Mendoza, Hope Christian HS, 9 games, 24 assists, 2.7 apg

STEALS

1-Paolo Cabero, Xavier School, 9 games, 26 steals, 2.89 spg

2-Don Mendoza, Hope Christian HS, 9 games, 17 steals, 1.89 spg

3-Kyles Lao, Xavier School, 9 games, 18 steals, 2.00 spg

4-Cholo Claver, Grace Christian College, 7 games, 14 steals, 2.00 spg

5-Jeron Teng, Xavier School, 9 games, 15 steals, 1.67 spg

6-Evan Ong, St. Stephen’s High School, 7 games, 11 steals, 1.57 spg

7-Jason Ligad, St. Jude Catholic School, 8 games, 12 steals, 1.50 spg

8-Edralin Villanueva, Hope Christian HS, 9 games, 12 steals, 1.33 spg

9-Kimlee Bayquin, Chiang Kai Shek College, 11 games, 13 steals, 1.18 spg

BLOCKED SHOTS

1-Wilson Bartolome, Chiang Kai Shek College, 11 games, 32 blocks, 2.91 bpg

2-George Isaac Go, Xavier School, 7 games, 11 blocks, 1.57 bpg

3-Clint Doliquez, Hope Christian HS, 9 games, 14 blocks, 1.56 bpg

4-Mark Ong, St. Jude Catholic School, 8 games, 8 blocks, 1.00 bpg

5-John Kevin Baytan, Chiang Kai Shek College, 11 games, 11 blocks, 1.00 bpg

6-Rodney Gonzales, Grace Christian College, 6 games, 6 blocks, 1.00 bpg

7-Ryan Lim, Uno HS, 7 games, 6 blocks, 0.86 bpg

2012 MMTLBA TOURNAMENT

JUNIORS DIVISION

Game 3, Finals

Day 16, Uno High School Gym

Feb. 23, 2012

Game Result/Finals Game Two:

No. 3 Chiang Kai Shek College 75 – No. 1 Hope Christian High School 63

CKSC beat Hope Christian HS, 2-0, to capture the Juniors title for the first time since 2007. Hope Christian HS has not won the Juniors crown since 1993.

Notes: Chiang Kai Shek College beat Hope Christian High School, 75-63, in Game Two of the best-of-three Juniors Division finals of the 42nd MMTLBA tournament at the Uno High School Gym to capture its 15th overall crown via a two-game sweep.

Last Monday (Feb. 20), CKSC whipped HCHS, 79-75, to take the series opener.

The Blue Dragons never trailed after grabbing an 18-16 edge at the end of the first 10-minute quarter, which was marked by two deadlocks (8-all and 14-all) and three lead changes.

CKSC enjoyed its first double-digit lead, 36-25, at halftime after tallying the last eight points in the second quarter, including a pair of three-pointers by Kimlee Bayquin.

The Blue Dragons made it 11 consecutive points as Carlo Young opened the third quarter with a trey of his own for a 39-25 advantage.

A pair of free throws by playmaker Janrey Garrido trimmed HCHS’s deficit to nine points, 46-37, but a John Kevin Baytan twinner restored CKSC’s lead to 13, 57-44, at the end of three quarters.

Backup frontliner Jibon Larin opened the fourth and payoff quarter with a basket as the Blue Dragons enjoyed their biggest lead, 59-44.

With eight minutes and 32 seconds remaining, and CKSC ahead, 59-48, a 10-minute brownout struck due to a circuit breakdown. When the lights came back, Hope Christian regained its bearing and slowly sliced CKSC’s lead to four, 62-58, at the 4:48 mark on a 10-run built around Garrido’s five points, including a long triple.

A Garrido error following a botched CKSC offensive took the life out of the top-seeded HCHS as the Blue Dragons moved ahead by eight points, 66-58, after a magnificent spin move by Baytan with 2:34 left.

Garrido hit his third triple to cut HCHS’s deficit to five, 66-61, but three free throws by Young and 6-6 center Wilson Bartolome put CKSC safely ahead, 71-63, time down to 41.3 seconds.

With 23 seconds left, a commotion happened when Bartolome grabbed a defensive rebound and was struck hard in the nape by Christian Errol Villar for his fifth and final foul. Bartolome took offense to the hard foul and a verbal skirmish between CKSC’s Bayquin and Baytan and HCHS’s King Benemerito developed. HCHS’s Edralin Villanueva and Leo Guion were sent off the floor for joining the fray off the bench.

Young led four CKSC players in double-digit scoring. He collected 21 points (on 6-11 FG, 7-8 FT shooting), six rebounds and four assists in 39 minutes. Nieles, a senior, got 17 points (including 10 in the first half), four boards, four assists and three steals in his final Tiong Lian appearance.

Bayquin, who like Young still has a year of TL eligibility, knocked in three triples and totaled 16 markers and five reebies for the Blue Dragons, whose first-year head coach Goldwin Monteverde picked up his sixth Juniors title overall (the first five were with St. Stephen’s High School), second most to current CKSC consultant Sunny Co’s seven (all with CKSC, the last one coming in 2007) on the all-time list.

Baytan, who was named the Finals Most Valuable Player, registered a double-double with 12 points (5-9 FGA) and 13 rebounds as CKSC shot .403 (25-for-62) from the field.

Monteverde utilized just eight players during the game.

Hope Christian HS, which was 7-0 going into the Finals, got 13 points (all in the second half) from Garrido and 10 from Clint Doliquez, who also grabbed eight boards. Guard Reymond Tan contributed nine points and Benemerito had eight. Newcomer Don Mendoza, who missed three perimeter shots at the height of Hope Christian’s searing fourth-quarter rally, and Villar added six points apiece.

Three HCHS men plucked down at least 12 rebounds – Villar, 15, Benemerito, 12, and Guion, 12 – as coach Stevenson Tiu’s boys won the battle of the boards, 67-38. The team, however, made just .271 (22-for-81) of its field attempts.

Regulars Villar, Benemerito, Mendoza, Garrido and Tan all have completing their TL eligibility (due to graduation or age limit).

Meanwhile, Xavier School’s Jeron Teng romped away with his league record-setting third consecutive MVP award. XS, the No. 2 seed and four-time defending titlist, lost twice to CKSC during the semifinals.

Teng was among the seven outstanding student-athletes (one from each member school) selected for MVP consideration. The others were Rodney Gonzales (host Grace Christian College), Evan Ong (St. Stephen’s High School), Garrido (Hope Christian High School), Philipp Glendale Licaros (Uno High School), Nieles (Chiang Kai Shek College) and Jason Ligad (St. Jude Catholic School).

The MVP awardees from the Aspirants Division (for players age 14 and under) and Girls High School Division will be announced later.

St. Stephen’s High School is next year’s MMTLBA host school.

2012 MMTLBA TOURNAMENT

JUNIORS DIVISION

Game One, Finals

Uno High School Gym

Feb. 20, 2012

Game Result/Finals Game One:

No. 3 Chiang Kai Shek College 79 – No. 1 Hope Christian High School 75

Game Schedule: Finals Game Two – Feb. 23 (Thu, 6 p.m.); and Finals Game Three, if necessary – Feb. 25 (Sat, 6 p.m.).

CHIANG KAI SHEK COLLEGE 79 – HOPE CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL 75

Notes: Chiang Kai Shek College, which had earlier romped away with the championships in the Aspirants Division (for players age 14 and under) and Girls High School Division, goes for the third jewel in its Triple Crown quest when the upset-conscious Blue Dragons take on No. 1 seed Hope Christian High School on Thursday, Feb. 23 (6 p.m.), at the Uno Gym in Tondo, Manila … In the series opener last Feb. 20, CKSC sent Hope Christian HS to its first defeat in eight appearances this season with a hard-earned 79-75 decision in a exciting pendulum-like match that produced 11 deadlocks (2-2, 20-20, 30-30, 32-32, 39-39, 45-45, 55-55, 63-63, 65-65, 67-67 and 73-73) and 15 lead changes … CKSC’s biggest lead was six points (38-32 late in the second quarter) while Hope Christian’s largest was also six (45-39 in the early seconds of the third quarter) … Quarter scores were: 23-22 Hope Christian, 43-39 Hope Christian, 63-59 Hope Christian and 79-75 CKSC …

Hope Christian jumped to early five-point leads, 12-7 and 14-9, but speedy playmaker John Paul Nieles hit a jumper as CKSC forced a deadlock, 20-all … Seldom-used Arjan Dela Cruz made a three at the first quarter’s end for a 23-22 HCHS lead … After a Clint Doliguez basket broke a 30-30 tie (following a trey by CKSC’s John Kevin Baytan), the Blue Dragons zoom ahead, 38-32, on an 8-0 run (including four by Kimlee Bayquin and three by Baytan) … HCHS came right back with an 11-1 blast, built around Janrey Garrido’s five points (including a trifecta), to take the first half, 43-39 … King Benemerito opened the third quarter with a jumper to push HCHS’ lead to six points, 45-45. However, Wilson Bartolome completed a three-point play to even the score at 45-45 … Joshua Tan connected on a three as CKSC went up by five, 51-46. Nieles gave CKSC another five-point advantage, 55-50, but HCHS closed out the third quarter with a 13-4 run,

including nine straight points (from 50-55 to 59-55) at one stretch, to regain the upperhand, 63-59 …Baskets by Tan and Carlo Young forced a 63-63 tie. It was the first of four deadlocks in the payoff period … Young split his free throws for a 72-69 CKSC lead, time down to 3:24. Thirteen seconds earlier, Baytan had returned to action after being sidelined by cramps with 36.3 ticks remaining in the third quarter … Garrido scored on a layup and Villar made a twinner as HCHS was in the driver’s seat once more, 73-72, with 2:46 left … A Bartolome free throw send the game into 11th and final deadlock, 73-73 … Then came the game-winning three-pointer by Baytan from the right baseline for a 76-73 lead at the 1:43 mark. Reymond Tan got a long two 19 ticks later to trim the deficit to 76-75 … CKSC stretched its lead to two, 77-75, on a Nieles free throw with a minute and five seconds left. Following a failed HCHS offensive, CKSC committed a

24-second shot violation with 26.5 seconds left. HCHS regained the ball with 13.0 ticks remaining when CKSC was called for kick-ball violation … Doliquez went inside for a potential tying basket but the tree-like Bartolome swatted away his shot (his sixth block for the game) and recovered the ball, forcing HCHS to foul him with 2.2 ticks left. Bartolome finalized the score, 79-75, with a pair of free throws. A Garrido three just after the buzzer was not counted … Baytan collected 22 points (5-9 FGA, 3-5 3FGA, 9-13 FTA), five rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot in 28 minutes for CKSC, which is looking for its league-leading 15th Juniors title, and the first since 2007 under Justin Chua, who’s now 4-for-4 in UAAP championship-series wins with the Ateneo De Manila University Blue Eagles. Three other CKSC players scored in double digits – Joshua Tan, 17 (including four threes, plus four boards, two assists and three blocks); Bartolome, 13

(plus 10 rebounds and six blocks); and Bayquin, 13. Nieles scored nine markers (on 4-for-5 field shooting) and Young had five points, eight rebounds and five assists in 25 minutes … Hope Christian HS, which has not won the Juniors crown since 1993, got 17 points and seven reebies from Doliquez, 15 points each from Garrido and King Benemerito, and seven apiece from Don Louis Mendoza and Reymond Tan. Garrido also had four steals and three assists, Mendoza collected six rebounds and four assists, Benemerito plucked down nine boards. Christian Errol Villar only scored six points but had team highs of 10 rebounds and six assists … The Tiong Lian Board will soon select this year’s MVP awardee from a list of seven outstanding student-athletes – one from each of the seven member schools. One criterion for the MVP award is that a candidate must not have flunked or repeated a year level at any time during his high school career. Xavier School’s

Jeron Teng was the MVP in each of the last two seasons.

2012 MMTLBA FINALS

JUNIORS DIVISION

COMPARATIVE PLAYER STATS

HOPE CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL (7-0)

Don Louis Mendoza – 9.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.4 apg, 2.14 spg

King Benemerito – 7.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg

Clint Doliquez – 8.1 ppg, 8.7 rpg

Waldrich Siy – 5 g, 5.4 ppg

Janrey Garrido – 7.0 ppg, 1.4 apg

Christian Errol Villar – 7.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg

Edralin Villanueva – 5.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg

John Apacible – 7.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg

Leo Guion – 4.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg

Reymond Tan – 4.1 ppg

Jeffrey Siybauco – 5 g, 3.0 ppg

Mark Nuñez – 3.7 ppg

Cedric Lagamayo – 5 g, 2.6 ppg

Arjan Dela Cruz – 2.4 ppg

Lerwin Yap – 5 g, 1.6 ppg

CHIANG KAI SHEK COLLEGE (7-2)

John Kevin Baytan – 17.0 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 1.9 apg

Carlo Young – 8 g, 11.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg

John Paul Nieles – 8.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 5.3 apg

Joshua Tan – 9.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.11 spg

Jherson San Agustin – 5 g, 5.4 ppg

Kimlee Bayquin – 8 g, 8.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.25 spg

Wilson Bartolome – 5.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.22 bpg

Dwight Mopas – 4 g, 3.5 ppg

Dale Dy – 7 g, 2.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg

Jef Denzell Go – 4 g, 3.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg

Jae Keenan Yap – 6 g, 3.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg

Jayson Jimenez – 8 g, 3.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg

John Lee – 2.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg

Jibon Larin – 2.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg

Cyril Mopas - XXX

2012 MMTLBA TOURNAMENT

GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

Game Three, Finals

Uno High School Gym

Feb. 16, 2012

Game Result:

No. 1 Chiang Kai Shek College 71 – No. 2 St. Jude Catholic School 54

Chiang Kai Shek College beat St. Jude Catholic School, 2-1, in the best-of-three Finals to romp away with the title. SJCS downed CKSC, 2-1, during the 2011 Finals.

ASPIRANTS DIVISION

Game Three, Finals

Uno High School Gym

Feb. 16, 2012

Game Result:

No. 1 Chiang Kai Shek College 82 – No. 2 Xavier School 72

Chiang Kai Shek College defeated Xavier School, 82-72, in the decisive third game of the best-of-3 Aspirants Division Finals Thursday night at the Uno High Gym to capture its first-ever Aspirants crown and end the Golden Stallions’ nine-year championship reign.

CKSC, which took Game Two, 112-71, after dropping an 85-77 decision in the series opener, practically led from start to finish. Center Rylle Tee scored the game’s first basket to give Xavier School a 2-1 lead. It was the Golden Stallions’ first and only lead as CKSC went on a 6-0 run to go ahead, 7-2. The Blue Dragons held the upperhand from there on. Frank Yu, who knocked in five triples in Game Two, was saddled with three fouls in the first quarter but he, Maverick Chua and John Vincent Gallego each scored five points as CKSC grabbed a 22-18 advantage after 10 minutes … A 10-2 blast (including five by Gallego and four by Chua) to start the second quarter gave the Blue Dragons a 32-20 advantage with 4:17 left in the second quarter … Coach Arsenio Dysangco’s boys enjoyed a 15-point edge thrice during the period – 40-25 on a Chua triple; 41-26; and 43-28 to end the opening half on a basket by Chua, who tallied a team-high 16 points.

Xavier School’s Christian Tyler Tio made 13 points but went just 7-for-12 from the free-throw line … A three-pointer by Franzcis Michael Bait pushed CKSC’s lead to 47-31. However, Xavier School scored nine unanswered points (five, including a triple, by Lee, and two each from Mitchell Kyle Ong and Tio), to trim its deficit to 47-40 … The Gold and Blue were within seven points once more at 49-42 following an exchange of baskets by CKSC’s Rafaelo Allen Toribio and Tio … Then the roof caved in for Xavier School as CKSC put together an 11-0 bomb for a 60-42 advantage – the 18-point difference being the largest in the game – with 3:14 left in the third period, which ended at 66-51 … Xavier School twice came within seven points – 75-68 on Ralphael Luis Romulo’s second triple, and 77-70 on a Tio twinner at the 1:21 mark. But Chua, who was momentarily sidelined by cramps early in the fourth quarter, hit a dagger three with a minute and

two ticks remaining, for an 80-70 CKSC advantage … Gallego and Chua scored 21 and 20 points, respectively, for the Blue Dragons. John Adolph Salinas contributed 10 markers and Toribio had nine. Yu scored all of his five points in the first half … Tio topscored for Xavier School with 24 points. Ong contributed 16; Lee, who got a pair of triples, added a dozen markers; and Jeremy Jordan Jacinto had nine scores … Later in the night, Chiang Kai Shek College whipped St. Jude Catholic School, 71-54, in the deciding Game Three of the Girls High School Division … With two titles under its belt, CKSC is looking at an unprecedented Triple Crown in the Year of the (Blue) Dragons when it takes on unbeaten and top seed Hope Christian High School in the best-of-three Juniors Division Finals that start on Monday, Feb. 20.

2012 MMTLBA TOURNAMENT

JUNIORS DIVISION

SEMIFINALS

Day 14, Uno HS Gym

Feb. 15, 2012

Game Result:

No. 3 Chiang Kai Shek College 70 – No. 2 Xavier School 50

Chiang Kai Shek College, which overcame a twice-to-beat semifinal disadvantage, advanced to the Finals for the first time since 2008 and will play unbeaten and top seed Hope Christian HS in the best-of-three championship series. Xavier School’s four-year reign as Juniors titlist is over. Jeron Teng, the two-time Juniors league MVP, completed his Tiong Lian eligibility with three titles (2009-10-11) in the Juniors Division and two (2007-08) in the Aspirants Division.

Games Schedule/Best-of-three Finals (all games at the Uno HS Gym): Feb. 20 (Mon, 6 p.m.) – Game 1, HCHS vs. CKSC; Feb. 23 (Thu, 6 p.m.) – Game 2, HCHS vs. CKSC; and Feb. 25 (Sat, 6 p.m.) – Game 3, if necessary, HCHS vs. CKSC.

CHIANG KAI SHEK COLLEGE 70 – XAVIER SCHOOL 50

Notes: Two brilliant games by CKSC frontliner John Kevin Baytan in the semifinal playoffs against now-deposed champion Xavier School has boosted his MVP chances this season … Baytan opened the one-side contest with a three and scored the game’s first four points as the Blue Dragons jumped to a 4-0 lead. Xavier School subsequently tallied six straight points (two each by Jeron Teng, Isaac Go and Paolo Cabero) to go ahead 6-4. It turned out to be XS’s last lead for the game, and for the season … A 9-0 run by CKSC, built around Carlo Young’s six points and two free throws by Baytan, gave the advantage back to the 14-time Juniors champion, 13-6 … Baytan, who had nine points in the first 10 minutes, completed a three-point play to end the first quarter at 16-8 ... Coach Goldwin Monteverde’s charges took a double-digit lead at 21-11 on a Baytan twinner. Cabero and burly John Lee exchanged baskets, 23-13, before an off-form Kyles Lao struck for a three to slice XS’s deficit to six, 23-17. That turned out to be the closest that the Gold and Blue would come within for the rest of the game … Joshua Tan reciprocated with his own trey and had seven points in a 9-3 run by CKSC to end the half at 32-20. Baytan chalked up 11 points while Teng was limited to eight in the first two quarters … Teng was momentarily left the game at the 8:50 mark in the third quarter after he and Baytan banged heads. Baytan stayed on and he collected 10 points including a four-point play (a three and a free throw after being fouled on the shot) at the 6:47 mark, while lifting the Blue Dragons to a 45-30 lead. XS had cut CKSC’s lead to 10, 40-30, following a 7-0 run. The Golden Stallions trailed in double digits throughout the second half … Tan beat the third-quarter buzzer with a three, 55-37 … Baytan opened the fourth period with a trey of his own as the Blue Dragons were never seriously challenged by a lethargic and dysfunctional Xavier School that had sought to reach the Finals for a 12th year in a row. The Golden Stallions uncharacteristically trailed by at least 20 points throughout the fourth quarter and the Blue Dragons led by as much 26 points (64-38 and 70-44) during the same stretch … Baytan, who is expected to challenge for this year’s MVP award, finished with a double-double for CKSC with 27 points (10-16 FG, including 3-for-6 from beyond the three-point arc, 4-6 FT shooting clips) and 12 rebounds along with a pair of blocked shots. Young, who knocked in three triples, totaled 15 markers and Tan made two treys and had 10 points, four boards and three assists. Playmaker John Paul Nieles collected five points, 11 reebies, eight assists and two steals in a game-high 36 minutes while mammoth center Wilson Bartolome had four markers, seven rebounds and six blocks, including four against Teng … In his final game as a Xaverian, Teng, who is headed to De La Salle University in the UAAP in July, went 4-for-18 from the field and 10-for-14 from the charity stripes for 18 points. He grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out three assists in 34 minutes. He committed eight turnovers, though. XS coach Budds Reyes permanently benched Teng with 4:31 left in the game in a fitting farewell to the 6-3 shooting guard who scored 104 points against Grace Christian College on Jan. 5, 2011 to become the only high school player in PH basketball history to score in triple digits … Cabero tallied eight points and Lao was held to seven on 2-14 FG and 3-6 FT shooting. Go, who like Lao played on the PH national unit to the 2011 FIBA Asia Under-16 tournament, had five points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in 19 minutes. Donald Felbaum plucked down a team-high 12 rebounds for the Golden Stallions, whose Aspirants Division crown they have held for the past nine years will be contested by Chiang Kai Shek College in the decisive Game Three of the Finals on Feb. 16 … CKSC shot 8-for-31 from the three-point area while Xavier School went 0-for-14 from the same area … XS and CKSC have faced each other four times in the last five days – Feb. 11, Aspirants Finals Game One; Feb. 13, Juniors Semis; Feb. 14, Aspirants Finals Game Two; and Feb. 15, Juniors Semis. A fifth XS vs. CKSC encounter will be held on Feb. 16 (5:30 p.m.) in Game Three of the Aspirants Division Finals at the Uno HS Gym.

2012 MMTLBA TOURNAMENT

GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

Game 2, Best-of-3 Finals

Uno HS Gym

Feb. 14, 2012

Game Result:

No. 2 St. Jude Catholic School 63 – No. 1 Chiang Kai Shek College 60

Note: Game Three of the best-of-three Finals to be played on Feb. 16 (7 p.m.) at the Uno HS Gym. St. Jude is the defending champion.

ASPIRANTS DIVISION

Game 2, Best-of-3 Finals

Uno HS Gym

Feb. 14, 2012

Game Result:

No. 1 Chiang Kai Shek College 112 – No. 2 Xavier School 71

Notes: In a high-scoring game, Chiang Kai Shek College waxed hot from start to finish and pulverized Xavier School, 112-71, in Game Two of the MMTLBA Aspirants Division Finals at the Uno High School Gym to force a winner-take-all Game Three on Feb. 16 (5:30 p.m.). Ther deciding third game will also be held at the Uno HG Gym. Xavier School, the nine-time defending titlist, took the series opener, 85-77, last Feb. 11 … XS jumped to a 6-0 lead on three-pointers by Rendell Lee and Mitchell Kyle Ong. However, Chiang Kai Shek College roared right back with a 10-0 blast, to take the upperhand, 10-6. A second trifecta from Lee gave the lead back to XS, 13-12. It would turn out to be the Golden Stallions’ last game lead. A third trey by Lee equalized the score at 16-all before the Blue Dragons, around a pair of threes by Fran Yu, six straight points by John Salinas and a basket by Jonas Tibayan, zoomed to a 30-28 advantage before Lee finalized the first-quarter score with another three, 30-21 … Ahead by 31-23, CKSC put together another 8-0 blast to go ahead comfortably, 39-23, the last three on a long-range bomb by Yu … Halftime score was 57-45 in CKSC’s favor … The red-hot Blue Dragons scored 12 consecutive points, 69-45, to start the second half to practically seal the deal … XS came no closer than 21 points (69-48) the rest of the way … CKSC was ahead 86-58 at the end of the third quarter. After Ong split his free throws to trim XS’s deficit to 27, 86-59, CKSC again tallied eight answered points to go ahead, 94-59, on a basket each by John Vincent Gallego, Yu, Rafaelo Toribio and Maverick Chua … The Blue Dragons led by as much as 48 points (109-61) late in the fourth quarter … Five players scored in double figures for CKSC, which has never won the Aspirants title since the Division for players age 14 and under was established in 2001 – Gallego, 30; Yu, 21 (including five three-pointers); Salinas, 15; Tibayan, 13; and Chua, 13 … Xavier School got 22 points from Christian Tyler, 17 from Rendell Lee, who knocked in five triples (all in the first half); and Ong, 10. Tio (8 minutes left) and Lee (four minutes left) went down with cramps in the fourth quarter … There were 17 three-pointers made in the game – nine by Xavier School and eight by CKSC.

2012 MMTLBA TOURNAMENT

JUNIORS DIVISION

SEMIFINAL PLAYOFFS

Day 13, Uno HS Gym

Feb. 13, 2012

Game Results:

No. 3 Chiang Kai Shek College 83 – No. 2 Xavier School 76

No. 1 Hope Christian High School 89 – No. 4 St. Jude Catholic School 64

Note: Hope Christian High School advances to the Finals for the second consecutive year. With the victory, Chiang Kai Shek College forces a rubber match against Xavier School in the semifinals on Feb. 15 (Wed, 5:30 p.m.) at the Uno HS Gym. Xavier School is the four-time defending champion.

Games Schedule/Best-of-three Finals (all games at the Uno HS Gym): Feb. 20 (Mon, 6 p.m.) – Game 1, HCHS vs. XS-CKSC semifinal winner; Feb. 23 (Thu, 6 p.m.) – Game 2, HCHS vs. XS-CKSC semifinal winner; and Feb. 25 (Sat, 6 p.m.) – Game 3, if necessary, HCHS vs. XS-CKSC semifinal winner.

CHIANG KAI SHEK COLLEGE 83 – XAVIER SCHOOL 76

Notes: There were six deadlocks and 16 lead changes in the hotly-contested game … Trailing 10-7 following a three by CKSC’s Joshua Tan, Xavier School went on a 9-0 run to take a 16-10 lead, the six-point advantage being the Golden Stallions’ largest in the contest … Then the Blue Dragons answered back with seven consecutive points (five by Carlo Young and a pair of free throws by John Kevin Baytan) to gain the upperhand, 17-16. Xavier took the first half, 23-19, and was ahead, 41-38, at halftime as Teng (14), Jarrell Lim (11) and Kyles Lao (9) combined for 34 points. Baytan had 14 points for CKSC at the break … The Gold and Blue were still ahead, 45-40, when Baytan made a twinner and Young went 3-for-3 from the foul line to equalize the count at 45-all. The two teams were again dead-even at 47-all, 51-all and 53-all. XS last led, 57-56, with 2:07 remaining in the third quarter on a three-point play by Lao before CKSC started to pull away, going on a 7-0 run, including successive treys by John Paul Nieles and Young, to enjoy a 63-57 advantage after three quarters … XS trimmed its deficit to four points, 65-61 when Teng was whistled his fourth foul with 7:55 remaining. With Teng on the bench, Kimlee Bayquin and Tan combined for seven straight points to put CKSC ahead by double digits, 72-61, time down to 5:55 … Paolo Cabero, who like Teng was plagued by foul problems, broke a prolonged XS silence with a jumper, 72-63 … However, a three-point bomb by Young, with 3:35 remaining, gave coach Goldwin Monteverde’s charges their biggest lead (13), 78-65 … XS made one last desperate run to turn the tide around, tallying 10 straight points (five each by Cabero and Lao) to trail by just three, 78-75, with 1:57 left … Bayquin restored CKSC’s lead to five, 80-75, at the 1:34 mark. Cabero lost the rock with 38 ticks left and Baytan and center Wilson Bartolome each split their two trips to the foul line for an 82-75 CKSC advantage … Baytan put together an all-around performance, collecting 22 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, five blocks and two steals in 38 minutes for the Blue Dragons, who seek to reach the Finals for the first time since 2008. Three other CKSC players scored in twin digits – Young, 17; Bayquin, 15 (along with eight rebounds); and Tan, 14. Playmaker John Paul Nieles contributed nine points and Bartolome had six points and nine boards … Lao finished with 27 points (on 11-19 FG and 4-4 FT shooting clips), six reebies, two assists and two steals in 38 minutes for XS. Teng shot just 7-for-24 from the field and 8-for-12 from the charity stripes for 22 points. He also collected 16 rebounds and six assists. Lim scored all of his 11 points in the first half and wound up with 12 reebies and three assists for the game. Cabero totaled 10 (seven in the final 5.5 minutes) for the Golden Stallions, who are bidding to advance to the Finals for a league-record 12th consecutive year … Five seniors on the Xavier School team were initially bared by school officials from seeing action for being absent from class the whole day even as a meeting for all senior students was held in school. Only 30 minutes before the scheduled game (5:30 p.m.) did school officials relent and allowed the five to play.

HOPE CHRISTIAN HS 89 – ST. JUDE CATHOLIC SCHOOL 64

Notes: Hope Christian scored the game’s first five points and led from start to finish. At the end of the first 10-minute quarter, HCHS was ahead, 24-11. By halftime, coach Stevenson Tiu’s boys had doubled St. Jude Catholic School’s score, 46-23 … HCHS was ahead by least 22 points throughout the second half. It got bigger after an 11-0 blast (from 53-31) lifted Hope Christian to a commanding 64-31 advantage as Don Mendoza (five points), King Benemerito (four) and Clint Doliquez frolicked inside the paint … HCHS, which its biggest lead at 70-33 before St. Jude Catholic School, behind the three-point bombs of Jason Ligad and Joel Chang, closed the gap to 72-43 at the end of the third quarter … With their huge deficit, there was not much life left for the Judenites of rookie coach Cholo Villanueva in the fourth quarter, who came no closer than 24 points (79-55 and 81-57) in the last 10 minutes … Four men scored in double figures for HCHS – Doliquez, 15; John Apacible, 13; Benemerito, 12 (along with seven rebounds and seven assists; and Errol Villar, 12 (along with 16 boards and three blocks). Cat-quick guard Janrey Garrido and newcomer Mendoza contributed nine and seven points, respectively, for HCHS, which is seeking its first Juniors Division crown since 1993 … Ligad completed his Tiong Lian eligibility with 23 scores for St. Jude Catholic School, which finished its season at fourth place (win or lose, Chiang Kai Shek College is assured of at least third place for forcing a rubber match against Xavier School earlier in the day). Chang contributed 16 points on 6-for-10 field shooting, including 4-for-8 from the three-point territory. Strongman Richard Sy, a senior like Ligad and Chang, registered a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards for the Judenites.

XAVIER BEATS CKSC IN GAME 1 OF TL ASPIRANTS FINALS

by Henry Liao

Nine-time defending champion Xavier School goes for the jugular on Valentine's Day (Feb. 14, 5:30 p.m.) when it takes on top seed Chiang Kai Shek College in Game 2 of the Aspirants Division best-of-three Finals in the 42nd Metro Manila Tiong Lian Basketball Association competitions at the Uno Gym.

In the series opener at the CKSC Gym Saturday morning (Feb. 11), Xavier School registered a hard-earned 85-77 victory over the erstwhile unbeaten CKSC squad.

The Golden Stallions gave up the game's first point then scored the next six to gain an early lead. The Blue Dragons roared right back to deadlock the score, 15-all, at the end of the first quarter.

Two more deadlocks occurred in the second quarter (25-25, 27-27) before hardworking Tyler Tio and Rylle Tee helped propel XS to a 38-31 halftime lead.

Tio opened the second half with a twinner as the Gold and Blue stretched its lead to nine, 40-31. However, Fran Yu singlehandedly scored eight consecutive points, including a pair of threes, as CKSC came within one, 40-39. It was part of a 15-1 run that saw the Blue Dragons jumped to a 46-41 advantage.

CKSC still held a five-point edge (51-46) - its biggest in the game - before XS came right back to equalize at 52-all, 54-all and 56-all, the last on a pair of Tio free throws to conclude the third quarter.

An exchange of baskets resulted in the seventh and final deadlock, 58-all, before XS, which dropped a horrendous 103-62 decision to CKSC during the elimination round, detonated a 12-2 bomb to go ahead by 10, 70-60, at the 6:19 mark behind six points by Mitchell Kyle Ong, four freebies by Tio and a three-pointer from the left corner by Rendell Joseph Lee, a younger brother of Xavier School and De La Salle University product Rejan Lee.

CKSC closed in at 70-64 on baskets by Yu and John Vincent Gallego. But Lee, who only came off the bench midway through the third quarter after bringing in a wrong set of uniform, struck for another three, this time from the right corner,to lift XS to a 73-64 advantage, time down to 5:36 left.

CKSC came within four points, 74-70, at the 3:52 mark. However, Tio, who reminds one of a young Jett Manuel with his strong slashing plays, hit two more foul shots at the 1:45 mark for an 80-72 XS lead.

Ong connected on a trey on an assists from Tio as XS pulled away, 83-75, time down to 1:13. Lee made another jumper, 85-77, with 19 ticks remaining to finalize the count.

Tio knocked in 31 points for Xavier School, including 23 in the second half. He went 17-for-21 from the free-throw line.Ong added 26 markers and Lee contributed eight for coach John Sy's charges.

Yu wound up with 28 points for CKSC. Gallego collected 23 scores for the Blue Dragons, who seek to extend the Finals to a third and deciding match with a victory on Feb. 14.

Should a third game be necessary, it would be played on Feb. 16 (Thu, 5:30 p.m.), also at the Uno HS Gym.

In Game One of the Girls High Division Finals, Chiang Kai Shek College beat Defending champion St. Jude Catholic School, 69-55, at the Uno HS Gym.

XAVIER BEATS CKSC IN GAME 1 OF TL ASPIRANTS FINALS

by Henry Liao

Nine-time defending champion Xavier School goes for the jugular on Valentine's Day (Feb. 14, 5:30 p.m.) when it takes on top seed Chiang Kai Shek College in Game 2 of the Aspirants Division best-of-three Finals in the 42nd Metro Manila Tiong Lian Basketball Association competitions at the Uno Gym.

In the series opener at the CKSC Gym Saturday morning (Feb. 11), Xavier School registered a hard-earned 85-77 victory over the erstwhile unbeaten CKSC squad.

The Golden Stallions gave up the game's first point then scored the next six to gain an early lead. The Blue Dragons roared right back to deadlock the score, 15-all, at the end of the first quarter.

Two more deadlocks occurred in the second quarter (25-25, 27-27) before hardworking Tyler Tio and Rylle Tee helped propel XS to a 38-31 halftime lead.

Tio opened the second half with a twinner as the Gold and Blue stretched its lead to nine, 40-31. However, Fran Yu singlehandedly scored eight consecutive points, including a pair of threes, as CKSC came within one, 40-39. It was part of a 15-1 run that saw the Blue Dragons jumped to a 46-41 advantage.

CKSC still held a five-point edge (51-46) - its biggest in the game - before XS came right back to equalize at 52-all, 54-all and 56-all, the last on a pair of Tio free throws to conclude the third quarter.

An exchange of baskets resulted in the seventh and final deadlock, 58-all, before XS, which dropped a horrendous 103-62 decision to CKSC during the elimination round, detonated a 12-2 bomb to go ahead by 10, 70-60, at the 6:19 mark behind six points by Mitchell Kyle Ong, four freebies by Tio and a three-pointer from the left corner by Rendell Joseph Lee, a younger brother of Xavier School and De La Salle University product Rejan Lee.

CKSC closed in at 70-64 on baskets by Yu and John Vincent Gallego. But Lee, who only came off the bench midway through the third quarter after bringing in a wrong set of uniform, struck for another three, this time from the right corner,to lift XS to a 73-64 advantage, time down to 5:36 left.

CKSC came within four points, 74-70, at the 3:52 mark. However, Tio, who reminds one of a young Jett Manuel with his strong slashing plays, hit two more foul shots at the 1:45 mark for an 80-72 XS lead.

Ong connected on a trey on an assists from Tio as XS pulled away, 83-75, time down to 1:13. Lee made another jumper, 85-77, with 19 ticks remaining to finalize the count.

Tio knocked in 31 points for Xavier School, including 23 in the second half. He went 17-for-21 from the free-throw line.Ong added 26 markers and Lee contributed eight for coach John Sy's charges.

Yu wound up with 28 points for CKSC. Gallego collected 23 scores for the Blue Dragons, who seek to extend the Finals to a third and deciding match with a victory on Feb. 14.

Should a third game be necessary, it would be played on Feb. 16 (Thu, 5:30 p.m.), also at the Uno HS Gym.

In Game One of the Girls High Division Finals, Chiang Kai Shek College beat Defending champion St. Jude Catholic School, 69-55, at the Uno HS Gym.

2012 MMTLBA TOURNAMENT

GIRLS HIGH DIVISION

Uno HS Gym

NEW Games Schedule/Best-of-3 Finals between No. 1 seed Chiang Kai Shek College (5-0) and defending champion St. Jude Catholic School (4-2): Feb. 11 (Sat, 2 p.m.), Game One; Feb. 14 (Tue, 7 p.m.), Game Two; and, if necessary, Feb. 16 (Thu, 7 p.m.), Game Three.

ASPIRANTS DIVISION

CKSC Gym and Uno HS Gym

NEW Games Schedule/Best-of-3 Finals between No. 1 seed Chiang Kai Shek College (6-0) and nine-time defending champion Xavier School (5-1): Feb. 11 (Sat, 9:30 a.m.), Game One at the CKSC Gym; Feb. 14 (Tue, 5:30 p.m.), Game Two at the Uno HS Gym; and, if necessary, Feb. 16 (Thu, 5:30 p.m.), Game Three at the Uno HS Gym.

JUNIORS DIVISION

Day 12, Uno HS Gym

Feb. 10, 2012

Game Results/Quarterfinal Playoffs:

No. 2 seed Xavier School 131 – No. 7 seed Grace Christian College 62

SEMIFINAL PAIRINGS:

No. 1 seed Hope Christian High School (6-0) vs. No. 4 seed St. Jude Catholic School (4-3)

No. 2 seed Xavier School (6-1) vs. No. 3 seed Chiang Kai Shek College (5-2)

Note: Hope Christian HS and Xavier School will enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage over their respective opponents. Xavier School is the four-time defending champion. All games to be played at the Uno HS Gym.

NEW Games Schedule/Semifinal Playoffs: Feb. 13 (Mon) – Xavier School vs. Chiang Kai Shek College (5:30 p.m.) and Hope Christian HS vs. St. Jude Catholic School (7 p.m.); and, if necessary, Feb. 15 (Wed) – XXXX vs. XXXX (5:30 p.m.) and XXXX vs. XXXX (7 p.m.).

XAVIER SCHOOL 131 – GRACE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE 62

Notes: Host Grace Christian College, which dropped all its seven assignments this season, scored the game’s first four points (on twinners by Rodney Gonzales and Kevin Lao) but Xavier School went on a 14-0 run (eight by Jeron Teng, four by Jarrell Lim and two by Paolo Cabero) to snatch a 14-6 advantage that GCC was unable to overcome from. Mammoth center Isaac Go, who missed XS’s previous two games, struck inside to give the Golden Stallions a 21-11 edge at the end of the first quarter … Xavier School led by at least 10 points for the rest of the game, taking the half, 52-30; the third quarter, 86-49; and the game, 131-62. XS outscored GCC, 45-13, in the fourth quarter, and registered 35 of the game’s final 41 points (from 96-56) … Teng got his pedestrian 35 points (on 14-for-29 FG and 7-for-8 FT shooting clips) and had eight rebounds, four assists and two steals in 31 minutes for the Golden Stallions, who will meet Chiang Kai Shek College in a semifinals encounter armed with a twice-to-beat incentive. Cabero chalked up a Tiong Lian career-high 26 points (17 of them coming in the final quarter) and also contributed five boards ands four assists … Kyles Lao, who along with Go suited up for the PH national squad that placed fourth in the 2011 FIBA Asia Under-16 tournament, came in with only four minutes remaining in the second quarter (and the score 42-22) and immediately punctured the hoops with a basket. Lao and five other HS juniors came in late after attending a school activity that took them to Bataan. Still and all, Lao totaled 23 points, including 21 in the second half. He also contributed six reebies, eight assists and four steals in just 17 minutes … Xavier School had its fourth 20-point scorer in Jarrell Lim, who notched 21 markers, 14 of them coming in the first 20 minutes. He also had a triple 5 in rebounds, assists and steals. Go finished with eight points, eight boards and two blocks in 14 minutes following a two-game sabbatical due to a shoulder injury … Bespectacled Kevin Lao completed his final year of Tiong Lian eligibility with 11 points, six rebounds and three assists for Grace Christian College, which also got a double-double from Rodney Gonzales, who wound up with 11 scores and 12 rebounds … Xavier School started the game with only nine players. For the first time this season, it showed up with a cheering squad – two students with drums … Dr. James L. Tan, the president of host Grace Christian College, was in attendance.

2012 MMTLBA TOURNAMENT

JUNIORS DIVISION

STATISTICAL LEADERS

(through games of Feb. 9)

SCORING

1-Jeron Teng, Xavier School, 6 games, 203 points, 33.8 ppg

2-Jason Ligad, St. Jude Catholic School, 7 games, 175 points, 25.0 ppg

3-Kyles Lao, Xavier School, 6 games, 133 points, 22.2 ppg

4-John Kevin Baytan, Chiang Kai Shek College, 7 games, 104 points, 14.9 ppg

5-Pierre Chan, Ste. Stephen’s HS, 7 games, 102 points, 14.6 ppg

6-Rodney Gonzales, Grace Christian College, 5 games, 61 points, 12.2 ppg

7-Philipp Licaros, Uno HS, 7 games, 80 points, 11.4 ppg

8-Kevin Ng, St. Stephen’s HS, 7 games, 78 points, 11.1 ppg

9-Ryan Lim, Uno HS, 7 games, 72 points, 10.3 ppg

10-Carlo Young, Chiang Kai Shek College, 6 games, 61 points, 10.2 ppg

11-Don Mendoza, Hope Christian HS, 6 games, 61 points, 10.2 ppg

12-Richard Sy, St. Jude Catholic School, 7 games, 69 points, 9.9 ppg

13-John Paul Nieles, Chiang Kai Shek College, 7 games, 66 points, 9.4 ppg

14-Joel Chang, St. Jude Catholic School, 7 games, 65 points, 9.3 ppg

15-Lanz Tan, Grace Christian College, 6 games, 54 points, 9.0 ppg

REBOUNDING

1-Rodney Gonzales, Grace Christian College, 5 games, 73 rebounds, 14.6 rpg

2-Ryan Lim, Uno HS, 7 games, 96 rebounds, 13.7 rpg

3-Jeron Teng, Xavier School, 6 games, 74 rebounds, 12.3 rpg

4-John Kevin Baytan, Chiang Kai Shek College, 7 games, 73 rebounds, 10.4 rpg

5-Richard Sy, St. Jude Catholic School, 7 games, 66 rebounds, 9.4 rpg

6-Clint Doliquez, Hope Christian HS, 6 games, 54 rebounds, 9.0 rpg

7-Donald Felbaum, Xavier School, 3 games, 27 rebounds, 9.0 rpg

8-Adrian Te, St. Stephen’s HS, 6 games, 50 rebounds, 8.3 rpg

ASSISTS

1-Paolo Cabero, Xavier School, 6 games, 39 assists, 6.5 apg

2-John Paul Nieles, Chiang Kai Shek College, 7 games, 39 assists, 5.6 apg

3-Jeron Teng, Xavier School, 6 games, 28 assists, 4.7 apg

4-Evan Ong, St. Stephen’s HS, 7 games, 27 assists, 3.9 apg

5-Philipp Licaros, Uno HS, 7 games, 25 assists, 3.6 apg

6-Jason Ligad, St. Jude Catholic School, 7 games, 24 assists, 3.4 apg

STEALS

1-Paolo Cabero, Xavier School, 6 games, 20 steals, 3.33 spg

2-Don Mendoza, Hope Christian HS, 6 games, 15 steals, 2.50 spg

3-Kyles Lao, Xavier School, 6 games, 12 steals, 2.00 spg

4-Jeron Teng, Xavier School, 6 games, 12 steals, 2.00 spg

5-Edralin Villanueva, Hope Christian HS, 6 games, 11 steals, 1.83 spg

6-Cholo Claver, Grace Christian College, 6 games, 11 steals, 1.83 spg

7-Kimlee Bayquin, Chiang Kai Shek College, 6 games, 10 steals, 1.67 spg

8-Jason Ligad, St. Jude Catholic School, 7 games, 11 steals, 1.57 spg

9-Evan Ong, St. Stephen’s HS, 7 games, 11 steals, 1.57 spg

BLOCKED SHOTS

1-Wilson Bartolome, Chiang Kai Shek College, 7 games, 14 blocks, 2.00 bpg

2-Isaac Go, Xavier School, 4 games, 6 blocks, 1.50 bpg

3-Clint Doliquez, Hope Christian HS, 6 games, 8 blocks, 1.33 bpg

4-Mark Ong, St. Jude Catholic School, 7 games, 8 blocks, 1.14 bpg

5-Rodney Gonzales, Grace Christian College, 5 games, 5 blocks, 1.00 bpg

6-Ryan Lim, Uno HS, 7 games, 6 blocks, 0.86 bpg

2012 MMTLBA TOURNAMENT

GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

Uno High School Gym

Feb. 6, 2012

Game Result/Semifinal Playoffs:

No. 2 St. Jude Catholic School 69 – No. 3 Uno High School 61 (rubber match)

Game Schedule/Best-of-three Finals – No. 1 seed Chiang Kai Shek College vs. No. 2 seed St. Jude Catholic School: Feb. 11 (Sat, 2 p.m.) - Game One; Feb. 13 (Mon, 5:30 p.m.) – Game Two; and Feb. 16 (Thu, 5:30 p.m.) – Game Three, if necessary. Note: St. Jude Catholic School is the defending champion.

ASPIRANTS DIVISION

Venue: Chiang Kai Shek College Gym

Games Schedule/Best-of-three Finals – No. 1 seed Chiang Kai Shek College vs. No. 2 seed Xavier School: Feb. 11 (Sat) – Game One Finals (9:30 a.m.); Feb. 13 (Mon) – Game Two Finals (5:30 p.m.); and Feb. 15 (Wed) – Game Three Finals (5:30 p.m.), if necessary. Note: Xavier School is the nine-time defending champion.

JUNIORS DIVISION

Day 11, Uno HS Gym

Feb. 7, 2012

Hope Christian High School (6-0) automatically qualifies for the semifinal playoffs armed with a twice-to-beat advantage over its opponent (the winner of the quarterfinal series between No. 4 St. Jude Catholic School and No. 5 Uno High School).

The quarterfinal playoff matchups are: No. 2 Xavier School vs. No. 7 Grace Christian College, No. 3 Chiang Kai Shek College vs. No. 6 St. Stephen’s High School and No. 4 St. Jude Catholic School vs. No. 5 Uno High School. Nos. 2, 3 and 4 own a twice-to-beat advantage over their respective opponents.

Games Schedule/Quarterfinal Playoffs – Feb. 10 (Fri) – No. 2 Xavier School vs. No. 7 Grace Christian College (5:30 p.m.) and XXXXX vs. XXXXX, if necessary (7 p.m.); and Feb. 11 (Sat) – XXXXX vs. XXXXX, if necessary (5:30 p.m.) and XXXXX vs. XXXXX, if necessary (7 p.m.).

ST. JUDE CATHOLIC SCHOOL 67 – UNO HIGH SCHOOL 53

Notes: And then there were six teams left. St. Jude Catholic School scored a hard-earned 67-53 victory over Uno HS to reach the semifinals against No. 1 seed Hope Christian HS … The first half was sloppily played offensively. SJCS took the first quarter, 8-7, for the lowest combined first-quarter score (15 points) this season. The first half ended at 26-23, in the Judenites’ favor. Jason Ligad had a dozen points for SJCS. The combined 49 points were the third lowest first-half score this season. Hope Christian HS (32) and Grace Christian College (13) combined for 45 first-half points in their elims game. Uno HS (32) and SSHS (15) combined for 47 points in the first half of their elims game … Uno High School, looking for an upset, bolted for a 37-34 lead behind Philipp Licaros’ twinner, the Uneans’ largest lead in the game. However, coach Milton Yu’s troops were mesmerized by the sudden full-court pressure employed by St. Jude CS, which detonated a 19-5 bomb, including an 8-0 blast (from 34-37 to 42-37) at one point, to take a 53-42 advantage at the end of the third quarter … Uno’s Ryan Lim opened the fourth quarter with a basket to trim his team’s deficit to just nine points, 53-44. It turned out to be the closest the Uneans were within of SJCS, which led by as much as 16 points in the final minutes (63-47 and 67-51) … Ligard topscored for SJCS with 26 points (on 10-for-29 FG shooting) and collected six points, three assists and two steals in 28 minutes. Sophomore center Francis Go contributed 13 markers and 15 boards for a double-double. Joel Chang, who took six of the Judenites’ first nine attempts in the game and connected on of them – a three-pointer – to give his team a 3-0 lead, wound up with 13 points and seven rebounds … Licaros, playing in his final Tiong Lian game, led Uno HS with 16 points. Charles Chong added 11 points and Lim contributed six scores and 12 reebies for the losing team.

CHIANG KAI SHEK COLLEGE 70 – ST. STEPHEN’S HIGH SCHOOL 50

Notes: And then there were five teams left. No. 3 seed Chiang Kai Shek College frolicked from start to finish in crusing to an easy 70-50 victory over No. 6 seed St. Stephen’s HS … In the semis, the Blue Dragons will take on the winner of the quarterfinal series between No. 2 and four-time defending champion Xavier School and No. 7 seed and winless Grace Christian College, which will be played on Friday (Feb. 10). The Golden Stallions need just a win against the host school to arrange a semifinal showdown with CKSC. XS, too, will have a twice-to-beat advantage over CKSC if it survives past GCC … CKSC got off to a quick start vs. SSHS, scoring the game’s first seven points and taking the first quarter, 18-9. CKSC took the first half, 40-16, as it limited SSHS to the third-lowest first-half score by one team this season. Grace Christian College scored only 13 first-half points in its elims encounter with Hope Christian HS. SSHS tallied a measly 15 points in the first half of a 57-45 loss to Uno HS during the elims … The Blue Dragons were up, 62-34, after three quarters and were ahead by at least 20 points throughout the second half. Their biggest lead was 31 points, 65-34 … As if it were any consolation, SSHS outscored CKSC, 16-8, in the final 10 minutes as Blue Dragons coach Goldwin Monteverde opted to rest his regulars … Carlo Young, who scored the game’s first five points, finished with 12 points to lead CKSC. John Kevin Baytan had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds and John Nieles and Kimlee Bayquin each scored nine for the winners. Nieles also had five boards, seven assists and three steals for the 14-time TL Juniors titlists … Pint-sized but gutsy Kevin Ng notched a team-best 19 points for the SSHS, which also got 10 markers and six reebies from Matthan Yu. Ralph Tan grabbed 10 rebounds and Adrian Te had nine boards for the Stephenians.

2012 MMTLBA TOURNAMENT

GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION

Uno High School Gym

Feb. 4, 2012

Game Results – Semifinal Playoffs:

No. 1 Chiang Kai Shek College 58 – No. 4 St. Stephen’s High School 35

No. 3 Uno High School 54 – No. 2 St. Jude Catholic School 53

Game Schedule – Feb. 6 (Mon, 5:30 p.m.) – Knockout Game between Uno High School and St. Jude Catholic School (the defending champion). The winner will meet Chiang Kai Shek College in the best-of-three Finals, whose schedule is Feb. 11 (Sat, 2 p.m.) - Game One; Feb. 13 (Mon, 5:30 p.m.) – Game Two; and Feb. 16 (Thu, 5:30 p.m.) – Game Three, if necessary.

ASPIRANTS DIVISION

Day 6, Chiang Kai Shek College Gym

Feb. 4, 2012

Game Results – Semifinal Playoffs:

No. 1 Chiang Kai Shek College 108 – No. 4 St. Stephen’s High School 53

No. 2 Xavier School 71– No. 3 St. Jude Catholic School 37

Chiang Kai Shek College and Xavier School (the nine-time defending champion) advance to the best-of-three Finals.

Games Schedule: Feb. 11 (Sat) – Game One Finals (9:30 a.m.); Feb. 13 (Mon) – Game Two Finals (5:30 p.m.); and Feb. 15 (Wed) – Game Three Finals (5:30 p.m.), if necessary.

JUNIORS DIVISION

Day 10, Uno HS Gym

Feb. 4, 2012

Game Results:

Hope Christian High School 96 – Uno High School 39

St. Jude Catholic School 72 – Grace Christian College 59

Team Standings (End of Elimination Round): Hope Christian High School (6-0), Xavier School (5-1), Chiang Kai Shek College (4-2), St. Jude Catholic School (3-3), Uno High School (2-4), St. Stephen’s High School (1-5) and Grace Christian College (0-6).

Hope Christian High School automatically qualifies for the semifinal playoffs armed with a twice-to-beat advantage over its opponent (the winner of the quarterfinal series between No. 4 and No. 5). The quarterfinal playoffs will feature the following matchups: No. 2 vs. No. 7, No. 3 vs. No. 6 and No. 4 vs. No. 5 with Nos. 2, 3 and 4 having a twice-to-beat advantage over their respective opponents.

Games Schedule – Quarterfinal Playoffs/No. 4 St. Jude Catholic School vs. No. 5 Uno High School (5:30 p.m.) and No. 3 Chiang Kai Shek College vs. No. 6 St. Stephen’s High School (7 p.m.); Feb. 10 (Fri) – No. 2 Xavier School vs. No. 7 Grace Christian College (5:30 p.m.) and XXXXX vs. XXXXX, if necessary (7 p.m.); and Feb. 11 (Sat) – XXXXX vs. XXXXX, if necessary (5:30 p.m.) and XXXXX vs. XXXXX, if necessary (7 p.m.).

HOPE CHRISTIAN HS 96 – UNO HIGH SCHOOL 39

Notes: Hope Christian reserves had their day in a court and made the best of their on-court playing time … Quarter Scores (HCHS-UHS): 21-6, 43-17, 75-23 and 96-39 … Seldom-utilized Waldrich Siy came off the bench to score a team-high 17 points in 15 minutes, shooting 8-for-12 from the field (including 1-1 3FGA), mostly perimeter jumpers Baby-faced mammoth center John Apacible and Don Mendoza also came off the pines to contribute 14 and 10 points, respectively for Hope Christian, which picked up its sixth win in as many appearances. Apacible also grabbed 13 rebounds. Center Clint Doliquez started and collected nine markers and, eight boards and four blocks in 12 minutes and Christian Villar scored eight for the winner … Philipp Licaros topscored for Uno with nine points but shot just 3-for-17 from the field. Ryan Lim totaled eight markers and 11 boards and Kevin Kok had seven points for the Uneans, who dropped their fourth game in six assignments.

ST. JUDE CATHOLIC SCHOOL 72 – GRACE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE 59

Notes: Grace Christian College kept favored St. Jude Catholic School at bay until midway through the third quarter before surrendering a 72-59 decision when the Judenites’ top gun Jason Ligad started to heat up … GCC took the first quarter, 14-13, and trailed by just four, 32-28, at halftime. Ligad knocked in 13 of SJCS’ 23-point output in the third quarter, which ended at 55-41 … GCC failed to make any headway in the fourth quarter as SJCS led by least 10 points in the payoff period … Ligad finished with 30 points, shooting 12-for-28 from the field, including 6-for-16 from three-point land. Joel Chang knocked in five three-pointers and totaled 17 points while center Francis Go wound up with nine markers and 17 reebies for the Judenites … Burly Rodney Gonzales registered a double-double for winless GCC with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Lanz Tan was the only other GCC double-figure scorer with 14.

2012 MMTLBA TOURNAMENT

JUNIORS DIVISION

Day 9, Uno HS Gym

Feb. 3, 2012

Game Results:

Xavier School 126 – Grace Christian College 49

Chiang Kai Shek College 89 – St. Stephen’s High School 50

Team Standings:

Hope Christian High School (5-0), Xavier School (5-1), Chiang Kai Shek College (4-2), St. Jude Catholic School (2-3), Uno High School (2-3), St. Stephen’s High School (1-4) and Grace Christian College (0-5).

Games Schedule: Feb. 4 (Sat) – Hope Christian High School vs. Uno High School (5 p.m.) and Grace Christian College vs. St. Jude Catholic School (6:30 p.m.). (End of Elimination Round). Feb. 7 (Tues) – Quarterfinal Playoffs/ No. 4 St. Jude Catholic School vs. No. 5 Uno High School (5:30 p.m.) and No. 3 Chiang Kai Shek College vs. No. 6 St. Stephen’s High School (7 p.m.); Feb. 10 (Fri) – No. 2 Xavier School vs. No. 7 Grace Christian College (5:30 p.m.) and XXXXX vs. XXXXX, if necessary (7 p.m.); and Feb. 11 (Sat) – XXXXX vs. XXXXX, if necessary (5:30 p.m.) and XXXXX vs. XXXXX, if necessary (7 p.m.).

XAVIER SCHOOL 126 – GRACE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE 49

Notes: Xavier School and Grace Christian College will meet once more in the quarterfinal playoffs with the Golden Stallions owning a twice-to-beat advantage … National player Jeron Teng notched his second 50 points-or-more performance this season, getting exactly 50 but not before hitting the floor hard late in the third quarter that caused some concern in the Xavier community … In this encounter, XS led from start to finish, leading 32-6 after the first quarter and 63-17 at halftime behind Jeron Teng’s 28 points (10-21 FGA and 8-10 FTA) and Kyles Lao’s nine markers (4-4 FGA and 1-1 FTA) … Coach Budds Reyes’ boys were never threatened at any point but received a jolt when Teng, already with 36 points under his name, fell awkwardly off Grace Christian College’s Alfred Co following an attempted putback with 3:56 left in the third quarter. The 6-2 Teng was shaken off and sat the rest of the third period, which ended at 91-34 in XS’s favor. He returned to start the fourth quarter but was replaced with four minutes left after collecting his 49th and 50th points with the Gold and Blue ahead, 117-41 … XS’ biggest lead was 77 points – 116-39, 120-43, 122-45 and 126-49 (final score) … In registering his 50 points in 33 minutes of action, Teng shot 19-for-37 from the field (all from the two-point area) and 12-for-14 from the charity stripes. He also had 14 rebounds, four assists and three steals … Lao chalked up 22 points (8-10 FGA and 6-8 FTA), four boards and three assists in just 20 minutes. Paolo Cabero was the third XS scorer in twin digits with 11 markers. Jarrell Lim added seven points and Martin Tioseco and Henry Yap (2-for-4 from the three-point land) each totaled six … In addition to Teng, two other Xaverians grabbed at least 10 rebounds – Donald Felbaum (10) and Neil Dy (10) … Isaac Go, like Lao a veteran of the 2010 FIBA Asia Under-16 competitions, was missing on the XS bench for the second game in a row due to a shoulder injury … Grace Christian College was led by burly Rodney Gonzales, who had a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards plus two blocks, and Lanz Tan, who had 11 points and six reebies. No other GCC player scored more than four points … Grace Christian College, which tallied a measly 49 points overall, committed a tournament record-tying 52 turnovers, duplicating its own dismal mark against Hope Christian HS last Jan. 27.

CHIANG KAI SHEK COLLEGE 89 – ST. STEPHEN’S HIGH SCHOOL 50

Notes: CKSC and SSHS will face each other again in the quarterfinal playoffs with the Blue Dragons owning a twice-to-beat incentive … Regulars Carlo Young and Kimlee Bayquin were in street clothes and did not suit up for CKSC … Pint-sized Kevin Ng hit a pair of triples to give the Stephenians an early 6-0 lead. However, CKSC came right back with nine consecutive points (including four by Joshua Tan and a triple by John Nieles) to take the upperhand, 9-6. SSHS’s Pierre Chan connected on the first of his six three-pointers in the game to deadlock the count, 9-all. Chan notched his second three to put his team ahead, 15-13. Speedy guard Jayson Jimenez made a pair of free throws for CKSC as the first 10-minute quarter ended at 15-15 … A third trifecta from Chan gave SSHS an 18-17 edge, its last for the remainder of the game. Jherson San Agustin retaliated with his own three as CKSC moved ahead, 20-18. This ignited a 15-0 run (10 of them by San Agustin) that buried SSHS for good, 32-18 … Halftime score was 40-25 in CKSC’s favor … Late in the third quarter, which ended at 67-36, CKSC mentor Goldwin Monteverde rested his regulars for the rest of the way but the shocktroopers continued with the offensive onslaught and led by as much as 42 points, 86-44, late in the payoff quarter … Five players scored in double figures for the Blue Dragons, who last won the Tiong Lian Juniors crown in 2007 behind Justin Chua. The five are San Agustin, 15 points (including 3-for-7 from beyond the three-point arc); Nieles, 12 points (4-for-5 3FGA) plus nine rebounds and five handoffs; Tan, 12 points plus seven reebies and four assists; John Kevin Baytan, 11 points along with a game-best 13 rebounds; and Jimenez, 10 points … St. Stephen’s HS, whose lone victory in the elims came against winless Grace Christian College, was bannered by Chan, who shot 6-for-20 from the field (including 6-for-16 from the three-point territory) en route to an 18-point night. Ng finished with nine points (on 3-for-23 field shooting) while Kyle Chua and Evan Ong tallied eight apiece. No SSHS player had more than six rebounds (Chua) in the one-sided contest.

2012 MMTLBA TOURNAMENT

ASPIRANTS DIVISION

Team Standings: Chiang Kai Shek College (5-0), Xavier School (4-1), St. Jude Catholic (3-2), St. Stephen’s High School (2-3), Grace Christian College (1-4) and Hope Christian High School (0-5). Note: Uno High School has no Aspirants team. (End of Elimination Round)

Games Schedule:

Feb. 4 (Sat) – Semifinals No. 1 Chiang Kai Shek College vs. No. 4 St. Stephen’s HS (9 a.m.) and Semifinals No. 2 Xavier School vs. No. 3 St. Jude Catholic School (10:30 p.m.); Feb. 7 (Tue) – Playoff, if necessary (5:30 p.m.); and Feb. 9 (Thu) – Playoff, if necessary (5:30 p.m.). Note: No. 1 and No. 2 have a twice-to-beat advantage over their respective opponents. Xavier School is the nine-time defending champion in the Aspirants Division.

TOP SCORERS

Tyler Tio, Xavier – 4-91 (22.8)

JV Gallego, CKSC – 5-107 (21.4)

Rendell Lee, Xavier – 5-93 (18.6)

Daniel Pua, SJCS – 5-91 (18.2)

Anton Yang, HCHS – 5-90 (18.0)

Maverick Chua – 5-88 (17.6)

Victor Ty, SSHS – 4-70 = (17.5)

Fran Yu, CKSC – 5-87 (17.4)

Don Magsakay, GCC – 5-65 (13.0)

Japs So, SSHS – 5-59 (11.8)

Maynard Yap, SJCS – 5-58 (11.6)

Brian So, GCC – 5-53 (10.6)

John Salinas, CKSC – 4-41 (10.3)

Jonas Tibayan, CKSC – 5-51 (10.2)

2012 MMTLBA TOURNAMENT

ASPIRANTS DIVISION

Day 4, Chiang Kai Shek College Gym

Jan. 28

Game Results:

Grace Christian College 49 – Hope Christian High School 37

Xavier School 76 – St. Jude Catholic School 52

Chiang Kai Shek College 112 – St. Stephen’s High School 47

Day 5, Chiang Kai Shek College Gym

Jan. 29

Game Results:

Chiang Kai Shek College 103 – Xavier School 42

St. Stephen’s High School 65 – Grace Christian College 54

St. Jude Catholic School 66 – Hope Christian High School 60

Team Standings: Chiang Kai Shek College (5-0), Xavier School (4-1), St. Jude Catholic (3-2), St. Stephen’s High School (2-3), Grace Christian College (1-4) and Hope Christian High School (0-5). Note: Uno High School has no Aspirants team. (End of Elimination Round)

Games Schedule:

Feb. 4 (Sat) – Semifinals No. 1 Chiang Kai Shek College vs. No. 4 St. Stephen’s HS (9 a.m.) and Semifinals No. 2 Xavier School vs. No. 3 St. Jude Catholic School (10:30 p.m.); Feb. 7 (Tue) – Playoff, if necessary (5:30 p.m.); and Feb. 9 (Thu) – Playoff, if necessary (5:30 p.m.). Note: No. 1 and No. 2 have a twice-to-beat advantage over their respective opponents. Xavier School is the nine-time defending champion in the Aspirants Division.

JUNIORS DIVISION

Day 7, Uno High School Gym

Jan. 28

Game Results:

St. Jude Catholic School 79– St. Stephen’s High School 50

Hope Christian High School 59 – Chiang Kai Shek College 57

Team Standings: Hope Christian High School (5-0), Xavier School (3-1), Chiang Kai Shek College (3-2), St. Jude Catholic School (2-2), St. Stephen’s High School (1-3), Uno High School (1-3) and Grace Christian College (0-4).

Games Schedule: Jan. 31 (Tue) – St. Jude Catholic School vs. Xavier School (5:30 p.m.) and Uno High School vs. St. Stephen’s High School (7 p.m.); Feb. 3 (Fri) – Xavier School vs. Grace Christian College (5:30 p.m.) and Chiang Kai Shek College vs. St. Stephen’s High School (7 p.m.); and Feb. 4 (Sat) – Hope Christian High School vs. Uno High School (5 p.m.) and Grace Christian College vs. St. Jude Catholic School (6:30 p.m.). (End of Elimination Round)

ST. JUDE CATHOLIC SCHOOL 79 – ST. STEPHEN’S HIGH SCHOOL 50

Notes: St. Jude Catholic School got off to a quick start, capturing the first quarter, 10-6. But St. Stephen’s HS, behind the snipings of pint-sized guard Kevin Ng, hotshot Pierre Chan and center Adrian Te, came roaring back to take the lead twice – 19-17 on a Chan three and 21-20 on a Chan twinner … The Judenites detonated an 8-0 bomb to erect a 28-21 advantage and never trailed thereafter. SJCS’s top gun Jason Ligad had nine points after the first 20 minutes, including a trifecta that gave his school a 31-23 lead at halftime. Ng kept SSHS alive with 10 markers in the first half … After Ng opened second-half hostilities with a basket, 31-25, Ligad scored eight consecutive points to give SJCS coach Cholo Villanueva’s boys a commanding 39-25 lead. St. Jude CS was ahead by at least 10 points the rest of the way, grabbing a 59-34 advantage at the end of the third quarter. Its largest lead was 69-38 (31 points) early in the payoff period … Ligad wound up with 29 points (9-22 FGA, 3-12 3FGA, 8-10 FTA), including 20 in the second half. He also had five steals … Bruiser Richard Sy registered a double-double for the Judenites with 13 markers and 15 rebounds. SJCS missed the services of Kurt Uy for a third straight game due to an ankle sprain … SSHS was bannered by Ng, who had 17 points, and Chan, who scored a dozen markers and grabbed seven boards. Te contributed 12 reebies and eight points.

HOPE CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL 59 – CHIANG KAI SHEK COLLEGE 57

Notes: With the come-from-behind victory, Hope Christian formally clinched the No. 1 position after the single-round elimination phase and advanced directly into the semifinals armed with a twice-to-beat advantage over the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 quarterfinal series. HCHS completes its first-round assignments against Uno HS on Feb. 4 (Sat) … With the defeat, Chiang Kai Shek College will likely be ranked No. 3 unless Xavier School, which currently holds the No. 2 spot, drops its game against SJCS on Jan. 31 (Tues) to create a three-way logjam for second place. The quotient system will be utilized to break the deadlock. The Blue Dragons lost to XS, 71-66, but whipped SJCS, 75-55 … Errol Villar opened the game with back-to-back baskets as Hope Christian went up 4-0. CKSC countered with a 7-0 blast, including five by John Kevin Baytan, for a 7-4 edge. Mammoth center Wilson Bartolome chalked up six points as CKSC took the first quarter, 19-13 … Another undergoal stab by Bartolome to start the second quarter lifted the Blue Dragons to a 21-13 advantage. It was the largest lead by either side in the game … HCHS went on a 13-2 run to move ahead, 26-23. Baytan, however, connected on a three and John Paul Nieles knocked in a short jumper as CKSC regained the upperhand, 28-26, at halftime … CKSC enjoyed seven-point leads thrice in the third quarter – 38-31 on a Carlo Young trifecta, 42-35 on a Bartolome free throw and 46-39 on another Young three-pointer to conclude the third quarter … HCHS deadlocked the count at 48-all on a Don Mendoza putback at the 7:19 mark of the fourth quarter. Coach Stevenson Tiu’s troops was back on the lead for the first time since the final minute of the second quarter when King Benemerito scored, 50-48, with 6:34 left … Southpaw Joshua Tan hit a trey with 5:35 left and CKSC was on top again, 51-50. Villar retaliated with his own three and the lead changed hands once more in Hope Christian’s favor, 53-51. Baytan struck for five unanswered points, including a trifecta that pushed CKSC up by three, 56-53, at the 2:37 mark … Kimlee Bayquin split his free throws for a 57-54 advantage for coach Goldwin Monteverde’s charges, with only one minute and 25 ticks left. Seventeen seconds later, Janrey Garrido hit Clint Doliquez with an inside shot to trim HCHS’s deficit to one, 57-56. Then came the game-winning three-point bomb by Garrido with 42.8 seconds remaining for a 59-57 lead by HCHS … Baytan committed an error with 32.6 ticks left but Garrido himself turned over the rock with 11.2 seconds remaining to give CKSC one last opportunity to send the game into overtime or even a victory with a three … Instead, Baytan was forced to hoist an airball after he was tightly defended near the basket … Mendoza and Benemerito scored 13 and 10 points, respectively, for Hope Christian. Mendoza also collected eight rebounds, four assists and five steals in 29 minutes off the bench. Benemerito also grabbed nine boards in 18 minutes as a substitute. Villar contributed nine markers and seven reebies and Garrido, who knocked in a pair of three-pointers to start and end the fourth quarter, and Edralin Villanueva, had eight points each … Baytan registered a double-double for Chiang Kai Shek College with 19 points (including 4-for-6 from beyond the three-point arc) and 14 rebounds but committed 11 of CKSC’s 37 turnovers (against HCHS’s 25). First-year Bartolome, in his finest game this season, also had a double-double with 12 points, 10 boards and two blocks for the Blue Dragons, who shot a miserable 6-for-17 (.353) from the foul line. Tan was the third CKSC double-figure scorer with 10. Young chalked up nine markers and seven rebounds.

2012 MMTLBA TOURNAMENT

JUNIORS DIVISION

Day 6, Uno HS Gym

Jan. 27, 2012

Game Results:

Hope Christian High School 76 – Grace Christian College 42

Chiang Kai Shek College 86 – Uno High School 61

Team Standings: Hope Christian High School (4-0), Xavier School (3-1), Chiang Kai Shek College (3-1), St. Jude Catholic School (1-2), St. Stephen’s High School (1-2), Uno High School (1-3) and Grace Christian College (0-4).

Games Schedule: Jan. 28 (Sat) – St. Stephen’s HS vs. St. Jude Catholic School (5 p.m.) and Hope Christian HS vs. Chiang Kai Shek College (6:30 p.m.); Jan. 31 (Tue) – St. Jude Catholic School vs. Xavier School (5:30 p.m.) and Uno High School vs. St. Stephen’s HS; and Feb. 3 (Sat) – Xavier School vs. Grace Christian College (5:30 p.m.) and Chiang Kai Shek College vs. St. Stephen’s HS (7 p.m.).

Hope Christian High School and Chiang Kai Shek College warmed up for their titanic Jan. 28 showdown by scoring convincing victories over their respective opponents Friday night at the Uno HS Gym in Tondo, Manila.

Hope Christian HS whitewashed winless Grace Christian College, 76-42, to raise its win-loss record to 4-0. Chiang Kai Shek College whipped Uno High School, 86-61, to share second place with four-time defending champion Xavier School with identical 3-1 cards.

Hope Christian’s biggest lead against Grace was 41 points, 67-26, on a Jeffrey Siybauco three. CKSC’s largest lead against Uno was 41 points, 72-31, on a twinner by Joshua Tan to start the fourth quarter.

Hope Christian only needs to beat Chiang Kai Shek College to clinch the No. 1 seed following the single-round elimination phase and qualify for the semifinals outright armed with a twice-to-beat advantage against the winner of the quarterfinal series between No. 4 and No. 5.

If Chiang Kai Shek College defeats Hope Christian HS by five points or less, Hope Christian will maintain its No. 1 ranking in case of a three-way tie with Xavier School (which beat CKSC, 71-66, but lost to Hope, 66-60) because of a better quotient. In this case, Hope Christian will own a differential of plus one. CKSC, at zero differential, will take over the No. 2 spot and Xavier School, at minus one, will be relegated to the No. 3 position (without the twice-to-beat incentive in the semifinals).

If Chiang Kai Shek College defeats Hope Christian HS by six points, the Blue Dragons will grab the No. 1 seed with a plus-one differential. Hope Christian will slide to No. 2 with a zero differential and Xavier School will be relegated to the No. 3 slot.

If Chiang Kai Shek College beats Hope Christian HS by seven points, the Blue Dragons will grab the No. 1 seed with a plus-two differential. While Hope Christian and Xavier School will have minus-one differentials, Hope Christian will take the No. 2 seed over Xavier School after applying the winner-over-the-other tie-breaker.

HOPE CHRISTIAN HS 76 – GRACE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE 42

Notes: If it’s any consolation, center Rodney Gonzales gave Grace Christian a 9-7 lead in the final seconds of the first quarter before Hope Christian Juniors rookie Mark Nuñez struck back with a jumper to equalize the count at 9-all at quarter’s end … Following the third and final deadlock at 11-11, Hope Christian, behind King Benemerito, Don Mendoza and Edralin Villanueva, knocked in eight unanswered points to move ahead, 19-11 … Halftime score was 32-13 in Hope’s favor (meaning Grace tallied only four points in the second quarter) … Hope was ahead 56-19 at the end of the third quarter (meaning Grace only six markers in the third period) … After Hope grabbed a 70-30 lead on another Siybauco trifecta, Grace Christian scored 12 of the game’s final 18 points to make the score more respectable … Hope Christian coach Stevenson Tiu experimented with a lot of player combinations and toyed with platoon substitutions throughout. He opened the game with his usual reserves, eventually utilizing all 15 of his players and giving his starters plenty of rest, possibly in anticipation of its game against CKSC the following night … Each Hope player saw action from five to 25 minutes. Siybauco started and chalked up three threes for nine points in 21 minutes of service to lead Hope Christian. Waldrich Siy also started and played a team-high 25 minutes in collecting eight points. First-string playmaker Janrey Garrido came off the bench to contribute seven points and two assists in five minutes. Seldom-used Cedric Lagamayo also started and totaled seven points and eight rebounds in 23 minutes … Tiu limited the minutes of his regular stars like Benemerito (nine minutes, five points), Mendoza (nine minutes, four points) and Errol Villar (eight minutes, four points) … Cholo Claver and Jan Aaron Choa shared topscoring honors for host Grace Christian with 10 points apiece. Claver also had 11 boards, four assists, three steals and a blocked shot in 23 minutes. Jared Sy and Gonzales had seven markers each. Gonzales plucked down a team-best 13 reebies.

CHIANG KAI SHEK COLLEGE 86 – UNO HIGH SCHOOL 61

Notes: Chiang Kai Shek College led from the get-go, racing to a 5-0 lead on baskets by man-mountain Wilson Bartolom and Joshua Tan (a three), and never trailed throughout the one-sided contest … The Blue Dragons grabbed a 16-9 edge after the first quarter and following a 9-0 blast (from 16-10), was on top by 15 points, 25-10. The charges of Coach Goldwin Monteverde, the second all-time winningest coach in Tiong Lian history with five titles (behind Sunny Co’s seven championships with Chiang Kai Shek College), were ahead, 37-20, at the end of the opening half … Only nine players suited up for Uno High School and hardworking center Ryan Lim was sidelined midway through the third quarter (which ended at 70-31) following a collision with CKSC strongman John Kevin Baytan and needed several stitches above his right eye to close a wound … Lim returned to action at the 6:45 mark of the fourth quarter and immediately scored to cut CKSC’s advantage to 33 points, 73-40 … CKSC was ahead, 82-44, when Uno put together a 10-0 run to close the gap to 28, 82-54 … Monteverde went mostly with his second and third-stringers like Jayson Jimenez, Jherson San Agustin, Dwight Mopas and Jef Denzell Go in the final quarter when the Uneans of coach Milton Yu outscored the Blue Dragons, 30-16 … Four players scored in twin digits for CKSC – Carlo Young, 13 (he was held scoreless in the team’s previous game against St. Jude Catholic School); John Nieles, 11; Baytan, 11 (along with 11 rebounds); and Tan, 10. Substitute Dale Dy had a team-high 12 reebies and five markers in 16 minutes. Another CKSC player with a double-digit rebounding output was Jibon Larin, who came off the bench to contribute 11 rebounds and two points … Ryan Lim posted a double-double for Uno HS with 14 points and 12 rebounds. David Chua totalled 11 points, seven boards and two steals. Pierce Tan and Philipp Licaros added 10 points apiece for the Uneans, who have lost three straight games after an opening-day win over Grace Christian College. Bothered by a bum stomach, Kevin Kok was limited to just one point in 14 minutes off the bench.

2012 TIONG LIAN TOURNAMENT

JUNIORS DIVISION

Day 5, Uno HS Gym

Jan. 24, 2012

Game Results:

Chiang Kai Shek College 75 – St. Jude Catholic School 55

St. Stephen’s High School 72 – Grace Christian College 61

Team Standings: Hope Christian High School (3-0), Xavier School (3-1), Chiang Kai Shek College (2-1), St. Jude Catholic School (1-2), Uno High School (1-2), St. Stephen’s High School (1-2) and Grace Christian College (0-3).

Games Schedule: Jan. 27 (Fri) – Grace Christian College vs. Hope Christian High School (5:30 p.m.) and Chiang Kai Shek College vs. Uno High School (7 p.m.); and Jan. 28 (Sat) – St. Stephen’s High School vs. St. Jude Catholic School (5 p.m.) and High Christian High School vs. Chiang Kai Shek College (6:30 p.m.)

CHIANG KAI SHEK COLLEGE 75 – ST. JUDE CATHOLIC SCHOOL 55

Notes: In his first coaching appearance against his former team for the past six seasons, Chiang Kai Shek College mentor Goldwin Monteverde steered the Blue Dragons to a 75-55 rout of St. Jude Catholic School … The Judenites lived by the three in the early goings, with SJCS top gun Jason Ligad knocking in 11 points (including two three-pointers to start the game) as his team led by two points at the end of the first quarter, 14-12. His teammate Joel Chang hit his second and third treys of the opening half as SJCS increased its lead to five, 27-22, after CKSC had taken the upperhand, 20-15, in starting the second quarter with an 8-1 run behind Kimlee Bayquin, Joshua Tan and unheralded center John Lee … Five straight points by CKSC – a three by Tan and a twinner by Bayquin – deadlocked the count at 27-all at halftime … John Kevin Baytan opened the second half with a three-point play to give Monteverde’s charges a 30-27 lead that they never surrendered thereafter. CKSC actually tallied 12 consecutive points (from 22-27 to 34-27) bridging the second and third quarters to go up by 34-27, again on a Baytan basket … SJCS strongman Richard Sy struck to trim the deficit to five, 34-29, then answered a Baytan fielder with a pair of free throws, 36-31. The Judenites came no closer than five after that … Burly Lee completed a three-point play following a putback as CKSC grabbed its first double-digit advantage, 46-36, time down to 1:57 in the third period … Following a three-pointer by playmaker John Nieles that stretched CKSC’s lead to 51-38, Chang completed a four-point play – the first by any player this season – after he was fouled on a three-point conversion by Nieles, 51-42, with 45.6 seconds remaining in the third period, which ended at 54-42 in the Blue Dragons’ favor … In the second half, SJCS died by the three-point shot, continuously hoisting threes to turn around the tide to no avail … CKSC was ahead by at least a dozen points in the final quarter and took the first of its two 20-point leads, 64-44, on an inside stab by Lee with 7:25 left … Tan finalized the score with a jumper, 75-55 … Chiang Kai Shek College got 19 points (on an 8-for-16 clip), 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals from Bayquin in 34 minutes; 17 points and six boards from Tan; 17 points and 14 boards from Baytan and 10 markers (on 4-5 FGA and 2-3 FT shooting) and four boards from seldom-used Lee. CKSC won the battle of the boards, 64-48 … St. Jude Catholic School was led by Ligad, who made 27 points on 7-for-30 shooting from the field (including 3-of-20 from beyond the three-point arc) and 10-for-10 from the foul lines. Ligad also grabbed a team-best 12 rebounds … Chang got his 14 points but hit just 4 of 17 overall field attempts – including 4-for-15 from three-point territory – and 2-for-3 from the charity stripes … Sy contributed nine markers and 11 reebies for the Judenites, who dropped their second straight game following a season-opening victory … Rookie SJCS head coach Cholo Villanueva’s troops had more attempts from the three-point area, 41 (made seven), than from the two-point area, 36 (made nine), and had an overall clip of .208 (16-for-77).

ST. STEPHEN’S HIGH SCHOOL 72 – GRACE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE 61

Notes: St. Stephen’s High School broke into the win column after three games with a 72-61 decision over host Grace Christian College, which dropped to 0-3 despite the inaugural appearance of new head mentor Lito Vergara (also the GCC Aspirants bench boss) … GCC started the game with a lot of energy, going up, 11-0, before settling for a 19-11 advantage after the first 10 minutes … GCC opened the second quarter with an 8-0 blast for a 27-11 advantage but then allowed St. Stephen’s HS to put together 15 unanswered points behind the hot-shooting Pierre Chan (six), Jon Ngcha (five), Ralph Tan (two) and Evan Ong (two) to slice its deficit to just one, 27-26 … Cholo Claver made a pair of free throws to give GCC a three-point edge, 29-26, at halftime … Chan connected on a three to equalize the score, 31-all, at the 8:19 mark of the third quarter. Following a baseline jumper by Lanz Tan that regained the lead for GCC, 33-31, Chan made another trey to push SSHS ahead, 34-33 … Following a 36-36 tie, reed-thin Nikki Co broke through with three three-pointers as the Stephenians grabbed a 47-42 advantage. GCC center Rodney Gonzales scored from under and the game was tied for the last time at 47-all … Chan retaliated for a twinner and SSHS was ahead for good even as the third quarter ended at 49-48 in its favor … Fourteen points by Chan, including four threes, gave SSHS a 63-54 advantage … An eighth and final three-pointer by Chan, with 2 minutes and 18 ticks left, pushed SSHS’ advantage to 69-56 … GCC self-destructed once again from the foul line. In the final 4:12, the team shot a horrendous 5-for-18 from the charity stripes, including nine consecutive misses at one stretch. Gonzales went 0-for-4 and Jared Sy was 2-for-8 as GCC could not get any closer than eight points. Overall, GCC was 22-for-48 (.458) from the free-throw line (SSHS was 10-for-17 from the same area). This negated GCC’s rebounding edge of 71-54 … Chan had 31 points, going 11-for-33 from the field overall (including 8-for-25 from three-point land), and pulled down 10 rebounds in 32 minutes for SSHS, which also got nine points, four boards and three assists from Co; seven points apiece from Ngcha and Kevin Ng and six points and 14 rebounds from center Adrian Te … For GCC, Gonzales had team highs of 13 points, 16 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots but shot just 3-for-12 from the foul line. Tan (3-for-6 3FGA) and Cholo Claver (4-for-8 FTA) added 11 and 10 markers, respectively. Jan Aaron Choa had nine points and eight boards and bespectacled Kevin Lao had eight points and 13 reebies. Sy shot an anemic 5-for-14 from the charity stripes and only had five markers.