Fil-Chinese squads face uphill battle in PSSBC

MANILA, Philippines – Chiang Kai Shek College, Xavier School and Hope Christian High School brace for a tough outing right in the elims of the fourth Philippine Secondary Schools Basketball Championship (PSSBC) Jumbo Linoleum Plastic Cup.

The three Fil-Chinese squads are bracketed in tougher groups where only the top two in the four-group, three-team field will advance to the quarters of the annual high school tournament dubbed “Battle of Champions.”

“It’s a tough grind for FCAAF teams so they have to work very hard to advance to the next round,” said former PSSBC chairman and Lamoiyan Corp. owner Dr. Cecilio Pedro. “I’m not trying to belittle their chances, I’m just challenging them to play tough because of the tournament format.”

CKSC is bracketed in Group B with NCAA’s Mapua and UAAP’s Adamson, Hope Christian is with defending champion San Beda and University of Santo Tomas in Group D while Xavier has Far Eastern University and NCAA runner-up Arellano University in Group C.

Manila Patriotic School, the fourth team from FCAAF, also faces a tough task against La Salle-Zobel and Lyceum of the Philippines in Group A.

“Who knows, anything can happen in this tournament,” said Jumbo Plastic Linoleum owner and PSSBC chairman Jimmy dela Cruz. “Still, I’m confident FCAAF teams have what it takes to pull off surprises.”

The tournament, which starts on Dec. 12 at the San Beda gym, is also sponsored by Blackwater Sports, Dickies Underwear, Ironcon Builders, MEC Networks, Hapee Toothpaste, Freego and Rain or Shine.