HOOPSTER: SJCS Upsets Hope, Grace Keeps UNO Winless
   by Henry Liao for philippinebasketball.ph (12/15/2010)

Standings:
Chiang Kai Shek College (2-0)
St. Jude Catholic School (1-0)
Hope Christian High School (1-1)
Grace Christian College (1-1)
St. Stephen's High School (1-1)
Uno High School (0-3)
Xavier School (X-X)

Date: December 15, 2010
Venue: Uno Gym
Results:
St. Jude Catholic School 70 - Hope Christian High School 67 (Game 5)
Grace Christian College 62 - Uno High School 51 (Game 6)

Ryan Chua played the best ball of his high school career with a 23-point explosion as St. Jude Catholic School upset Hope Christian High School, 70-67, in its opening game in the 41st Metro Manila Tiong Lian Basketball Association tournament held at the Uno Gym.

Chua, a 5-10 senior guard who averaged just 2.6 points in 10 games last season, knocked in three three-pointers (one more than the entire Hope Christian team), grabbed eight rebounds and dished out three assists for the Judenites to earn Freego Player of the Game honors.

Hope Christian got off to a quick start, leading 15-10 after the first 10-minute quarter and 37-32 at halftime behind Jessiery Pedrosa's 10 markers and nine boards.

However, Chua and Kurt Uy knocked in eight and six points, respectively, in the pivotal third quarter as St. Jude came roaring back to take a 50-44 advantage.

Coach Goldwin Monteverde's charges enjoyed a slim 51-50 lead entering the fourth period and never trailed throughout the payoff period.

Hope Christian tied the count at 58-all on a pair of free throws by Errol Villar at the 6:41 mark. But St. Jude Catholic School, which placed second in each of the last two Tiong Lian seasons, scored the next five points - a three by Jason Ligad and a fastbreak layup by Leslie Tan - to take a 63-58 lead.

Hope Christian again deadlocked the score at 63-63 on a follow-up by King Benemerito off a Pedrosa miss with 4:42 left.

Chua broke the tie with his third trifecta of the night as St. Jude regained the lead, 66-63. Following a Benemerito basket, Ligad made a short jumper for another three-point lead, 68-65, at the 1:50 mark.

Hope Christian closed within one point, 68-67, with 18.4 second ticks left on an undergoal stab by Villar off a Pedrosa assist.

With three fouls to give before going into penalty, Hope Christian was forced to use them all, the last by Elijah Tancauco against Ligad, time down to 12 seconds.

Ligad, who was 5-for-5 from the foul line, calmly canned his two free throws to ice the game, 70-67. Pedrosa failed in his bid to send the game into overtime as he was forced to fire an awkward trey at the buzzer.

Ligad wound up with 21 points (including 2-for-3 from beyond the three-point arc in the fourth quarter) and four steals in 32.5 minutes of action.

Strongman Richard Sy contributed 11 points and nine boards for the Judenites, who will take on St. Stephen's High School on Sunday, December 19, on their home floor in the first game of a doubleheader. (The mainer features three-time defending champion Xavier School vs. unbeaten Chiang Kai Shek College.)

Benemerito and Janrey Garrido each had 16 points to share scoring honors for Hope Christian, which lost for the first time in 26 games (breaking a 25-game winning streak that included championships in the Filipino-Chinese Amateur Athletic Federation, Fr. Martin Cup and Metropolitan Amateur Sports Association tournaments and the opening game in the 2010-11 Tiong Lian season).

Benemerito also grabbed nine boards. Pedrosa collected 14 points (none in the fourth quarter), 13 reebies and three blocks and Villar had 10 points and eight boards.

Still, St. Jude CS outrebounded Hope Christian, 43-41, and tallied more threes (7-of-23) than its foes (2-of-22, including 2-of-13 by Garrido).

Hope Christian also was anemic 17-for-32 from the free throw line (including 2-of-8 by Garrido and 2-of-6 by Villar). St. Jude went 15-for-21 from the stripes.

Quarter Scores (St. Jude CS-Hope Christian HS): 10-15, 32-37, 51-50, 70-67

In the other game, Grace Christian College scored a come-from-behind 62-51 victory over Uno High School.

It was Grace Christian's first win in two starts and Uno's third loss in as many games.

Grace Christian trailed for much of first three quarters before engineering an 8-0 run - four each by Rhenz Tiu and David Licauco - to seize a 55-46 lead with 4:22 left in the game. The team also scored the game's final seven points for an 11-point decision.

Bespectacled Kevin Lao chalked up 16 points and 16 rebounds for Grace Christian to gain the Freego Player of the Game award.

Two other GC players score in twin digits - Khristian Furigay, 13, and Jared Sy, 10.

Justin Co scored Uno HS's first 10 points and wound up with 12. Alvin Ang had a pair of three-pointers and eight markers and big man Ryan Lim had seven points and 15 boards for the losers.

Quarter Scores (Grace Christian College-Uno HS): 13-15, 25-28, 40-41, 62-51

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