St. Jude Catholic School and three-time Juniors Division champion Xavier School stayed unbeaten through the 2010 segment of the double round-robin elimination phase of the 41st Metro Manila Tiong Lian Basketball Association high school competitions.

St. Jude is unblemished in three games while Xavier School has a pair of victories in as many assignments.

St. Jude, the runner-up in each of the last two seasons, upset pre-tournament title favorite Hope Christian High School, 70-67, in its season opener behind a 23-point, eight-rebound performance from guard Ryan Chua and a 21-point effort from hotshot swingman Jason Ligad.

The Judenites subsequently whipped St. Stephen's High School, 84-75, as Ligad (31) and Kurt Uy (23) combined for 54 points and 12 three-point shots. Coach Goldwin Monteverde's boys registered their third victory in a row after blasting Grace Christian College, 86-67, behind a tournament-high and individual career-high 45 markers by the 5-11 Ligad, who also went 11-for-16 from beyond the three-point arc.

The all-time Tiong Lian single-game record for most three-pointers made is 12. That record belongs to Xavier School's Jeric Teng. The 6-2 Teng, who now plays for the University of Santo Tomas in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines), had a dozen trifectas and a Tiong Lian career-high 55 points during a 109-87 rout of Chiang Kai Shek College on January 21, 2009.

After three games, Ligad, a high school junior who is being courted by a UAAP school for college ball, is hitting at a 32.3-point clip.

Xavier School, which is bidding to become the first team in Tiong Lian history to capture four consecutive Juniors Division crowns, opened its season with victories over championship contenders Chiang Kai Shek College and Hope Christian High School.

Multi-dimensional Jeron Teng, a member of the Philippine Under-16 and Under-18 Youth teams, led five Xavier players in double-digit scores in chalking up 34 markers, 11 boards, eight steals and five assists in the Golden Stallions' easy 104-84 triumph over host Chiang Kai Shek College.

A high school junior, the bull-strong Teng again posted a double-double of 39 points and 11 rebounds in catapulting coach Budds Reyes' troops to a 73-66 win over Hope Christian High School.

After two outings, the son of former Philippine Basketball Association strongman Alvin Teng is averaging 36.5 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.0 steals, pacing the tournament in all three categories.

Overall, Xavier School owns a 21-game winning streak over four seasons.

Chiang Kai Shek College, which owns a 2-1 ledger, beat St. Stephen's High School, 87-50, and winless Uno High School, 61-49, before losing to Xavier School.

Paul Aduana is the Blue Dragons' meal ticket with averages of 23.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.0 steals per contest.

Hope Christian High School, which went unbeaten in 24 games in securing championships in three preseason tournaments, suffered back-to-back losses after opening with a 75-54 decision over Uno High School.

Four players own double-figure scoring averages for Hope Christian. They are King Benemerito, 15.7 ppg; Jessiery Pedrosa, 15.3; Errol Villar, 13.3; and Janrey Garrido, 10.0.

Like Hope Christian, two other teams tote a 1-2 card. They are St. Stephen's High School and Grace Christian College. The Stephenians are bannered by 6-3 Kent Lao, who is norming 19.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.

Uno High School is at the bottom of the seven-school standings with an 0-3 record.