FORMER Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu ace guard, Adven Jess Diputado, took the spotlight as he knocked down a buzzer-beating jumper that lifted the NCAA champions San Beda Red Cubs to a thrilling, 80-79 win over the UAAP titlists, Far Eastern University-Diliman, in the quarterfinals of the Philippine Secondary Schools Basketball Championship (PSSBC) last Sunday at the Chiang Kai Shek College gym in Manila.
The Red Cubs proved to be the steadier team down the stretch as they clawed their way back from nine points down in the final canto. FEU appeared headed towards an upset win as two-time UAAP MVP, Cebuano guard Jerie Marlon Pingoy, calmly hit two free-throws that put them ahead, 79-78, with three ticks left.
Diputado, a former Mythical Five member of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) before transferring to the national hoops factory, then got past his defenders for the game-winner.
The win put the Red Cubs into the semifinals where they will face NCAA nemesis, the San Sebastian Staglets which beat the University of Santo Tomas, 82-61.
NCAA Finals MVP, Javee Mocon paced San Beda with 22 points and 14 boards while Pingoy finished with 20 for FEU.
Completing the dominance of the NCAA squads was Letran, which defeated the reigning Metro Manila Tiong Lian Basketball Association (MMTLBA) champions, Chiang Kai Shek College, 67-61.
John Quinto was the star of the show with 27 points and an incredible 23 rebounds that put the Squires into the next round against Hope Christian High School which dumped Xavier School, 79-62. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio