CEBU, Philippines - Team Cebu/Lancers went to the triple threat of Jun Manzo, Orlan Wamar and Joshua Flores anew to oust Pampanga, 61-49, and grab a seat in the championship of the national finals of the Coca Cola PBA Youngstars Basketball Tournament in Manila.
Manzo led the team with 23 points, while Wamar and Flores had 11 points each in a game that took away Pampanga’s chances of making it to the championship. In the other crucial game, Laguna dumped KABAKA Manila, 68-42, to keep pace with Cebu/Lancers.
The Cebu/Lancers and Laguna are tied with 4-0 records and will face off in the finals.
However, both teams get to test each other today in a non-bearing battle of the top two teams in the last day of the elimination round. The championship game will be played tomorrow at the Blue Eagle Gym.
The team standings after four game have Cebu and Laguna tied at the top with 4-0 records, followed by Pampanga (2-2), Manila KABAKA (1-3), Cagayan de Oro (1-3) and San Juan (0-4).
The Coca Cola PBA Youngstars Basketball Tournament is an annual summer league featuring 13, 14, 15 and 16 year old players from all over the country.
The Lancers are seeking to better their second place finish at last year’s national finals where they bowed to the San Beda-backed Taytay squad. (FREEMAN)