TEAM Philia and the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles set up a championship duel after beating their respective opponents during the first day of the Ave Maria Cup basketball tournament, yesterday at the Cebu Coliseum.
Philia, composed of selected players from the University of San Carlos and the University of San Jose-Recoletos, crushed the visiting Assumption College of Davao, 90-82, thanks to an 11-0 endgame run that sealed the deal after the latter took an, 82-79 lead.
Brothers Matthew and Christian Parker scored a basket each in that run while Gabe Branzuela and Christian Senining made a three-pointer apiece to finish off the pesky juniors squad. Christian paced the steam with 23 points while Matthew chipped in 20. Senining scored 18 spiked by six triples.
Later, Philia took its second win with a, 77-66 bashing of Cebu Eastern College Dragons.
Meanwhile, last year’s Cesafi runners-up, SHS-AdC nipped the CEC Dragons, 60-58, as Shan Tan missed the potential game-tying jumper at the final buzzer.
Jr. NBA RP team member, Jan Jaboneta led the Magis Eagles with 17 points even as the comebacking Arc Gabrielle Araw-Araw, fresh from his stint with the San Beda Red Cubs, added 11 markers.
Later, the Magis Eagles claimed the other finals ticket with a resounding, 81-48 romp over Assumption College. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio