Xavier clinches No.1 in semis; CKSC wins

MANILA, Philippines - Three-time defending champion Xavier School repeated over St. Jude Catholic School, 111-81, and clinched the No. 1 spot in the Final Four of the Freego 41st Metro Manila Tiong Lian Basketball Association (MMTLBA) high school tournament Saturday at the CKSC gym.

Jeron Teng fired 42 points and finished with 20 rebounds as the Golden Stallions strolled to their ninth straight win. Teng also had seven assists and five steals to share the Freego Player of the Game award with Donal Ong who made 17 points, five triples, eight boards and four assists.

Also last Friday, host and 14-time champion Chiang Kai Shek College dumped Uno High School, 86-47, to grab the No. 2 spot of the tournament backed by PCSO, Davies Paints, Welcoat, Orocan, Puma, Fern-C, Bantex, PG-Flex, Molten, Healthy Options, Bow & Wow, Burlington, MEC Computer, Converse, Gold’s Gym and Absolute.

The Blue Dragons improved to 6-3 while the Judenites, last year’s runners-up, slipped to 5-4 - half-a-game behind Hope Christian HS.

Meantime, St. Stephen’s High School crushed Grace Christian College, 67-41, to keep its Final Four bid alive with a 4-5 record. In all, the win was Xavier’s 29th since Game 3 of the 2008 Finals which the Golden Stallions won.