NCR bets win in Coke finals

MANILA, Philippines - National Capital Region bets Valenzuela and KABAKA-Manila crushed separate rivals yesterday in firing off the PBA Coca-Cola Youngstars National Finals at the JCSGO gym in Cubao.

Led by Juan Carlo Garcia, who scored 28 points and Carl  Brian Lacap (18), NCR champion Valenzuela routed Southern Luzon qualifier Batangas, 67-51, opening a 24-14 first quarter advantage and never looking back.

Manila, on the other hand, banked on the 20 points of Ivan Andaya and the 20 of Edrian Quimbao to brush aside Cagayan de Oro, the Mindanao champion, 63-54.

Raphael Jose Chavez led Batangas with 18 points, while Homer Dagok had 23 for Cagayan de Oro.

In the third game, Visayas winner Cebu City kept pace with the NCR teams, dumping Pampanga, from Northern Luzon, 47-36, as Theo Joshua Flores poured 21 points.

In today’s action, also at the JCSGO gym, Valenzuela guns for its second straight win when it battles Cagayan de Oro at 11 a.m., Cebu City and Manila clash at 9:30, and Batangas meets Pampanga in the curtainraiser at 8 a.m.