La Salle battles Ateneo for SBP NCR crown

MANILA, Philippines - Last year’s SBP national champion La Salle Green Hills sets out to defend its crown against Ateneo Grade School in the finals of the SBP-Passerelle Twin Tournament at the Ateneo Blue Eagles gym on Saturday.

San Beda College and Chiang Kai Shek College, on the other hand, will dispute the NCR Passerelle championship.

San Beda College and Xavier School clash for third place honors in the SBP category while last year’s winner La Salle Green Hills and Ateneo High School battle for third in the Passerelle division.

Winners will represent NCR against the other regional champions from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao for the national championship.

The SBP-Passerelle regional championships are slated on Oct. 12-13 in Iloilo for the Visayas, Oct. 26-27 in Davao for Mindanao and Nov. 9-10 in Pampanga for Luzon.

The winners will slug it out for the national crowns on Nov. 23-24 in Pampanga.

This year’s SBP-Passerelle twin tournaments drew 600 of the country’s most promising cagers with kids 9-11 years old competing in the SBP tournament and kids 12-14 years vying in the Passerelle division.

Sponsored by Milo and supported by RCBC Savings Bank, the SBP-Passerelle tournament was founded in 1986 and organized by the award-winning Basketball Efficiency and Scientific Training (BEST) Center. It provides budding young basketeers a platform to showcase their basketball skills, as well as foster camaraderie and sportsmanship among the participating schools, the players and their parents.

For details, call the BEST Center hotlines 411-6260 or 371-3065, or visit BEST Center Sports Inc. on Facebook.