MANILA, Philippines - Michael John Flores exploded with 24 points as AMA turned back Xavier, 80-77, to set up a title duel with St. Jude in the 17-under category of the Got Skills Basketball Showdown Season Twoat the Xavier gym.
The win was the seventh straight by the AMA Junior Team, supported by Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte and AMA owner, Ambassador Amable Aguiluz in line with the school’s program providing atheltic scholarshipos to deserving students from the public schools.
They advanced to the finals against St. Jude which turned back Ateneo Prada, 58-52, with Renzel Yongco scoring 25 points, in this tournament backed by No Curfew Watch Store, Wize and Ope Watch, Chris Sports and Sklz.
AMA, coached by Mark Herrera, was seeded to the semis outright after sweeping the elimination round with six wins while St. Jude had to wallop Ateneo Paya, 54-33, with the high-scoring Yongco firing 19 points.
Ateneo and Xavier routed Chiang Kai Shiek, 61-32, and La Salle Greenhills Paya, 51-25, respectively, to arrange a showdown for the 13-under division crown.
The Eaglets, who waylaid St. Jude, 66-29, in the quarterfinals, leaned on John Fetalvero’s nine points and 12 rebounds while Miguel Roy Luis Tan fired 10 points as the Xavier cagers scored a big follow-up to their 55-28 rout of ISB Lucena, 55-28.
In the 11-under section, Ryley Tuason sizzled with 19 points as Xavier sent another team to the finals with a 43-31 win over Ateneo A.
Xavier, which slammed Ateneo B, 49-25, behind Asiah Inductivo’s 10-point game, will play La Salle Greenhills SBP, which waylaid Marist, 66-48, with Mark Anjelo Torruos scoring 10 points and game-high 12 assists.
Torruos also spearheaded led the Greenies with 13 points in a 68-30 thrashing of St. Jude earlier. La Salle Greenhills A edged San Beda Taytay, 44-40, and Chiang Kai Shiek dumped National U, 46-34, to set a title clash in the 17-under.
Benedict Angelo Cruz had 10 points and six boards to lead LSGH, which survived College of Saint Benildo-Rizal, 43-41, in the quarters, while Jonas Tibayan unleashed 22 points and 13 caroms to pace CKSC, which smashed LSGH B, 47-23.
Today’s finals schedule pit LSGH A against CKSC at 8 a.m (15-under), LSGH B versus Xavier at 9:30 a.m. (11-under), Ateneo against Xavier at 11 a.m. (13-under) and St. Jude versus AMA at 2 p.m. (17-under) at Xavier Sports Complex’s wooden court.