Chiang Kai Shek College continued its dominance in the Baden Powell Cup Basketball Tournament by winning an unprecedented fourth straight title during the 2009 staging of the annual competition. The CKSC Blazing Scout Dragons emerged “4-Ward Champions” by sweeping perennial rival St. Stephen’s High School, two games to nil, in their best-of-three championship series.

After winning the first game at the SSHS Gym to the score of 66-59, the Dragons played hosts to the Stephenians in the second game of the series at the Benjamin Chua, Jr. Gymnasium of their Narra Campus on Valentine’s Day, February 14. The crowd-filled gym was roaring with drum beats and cheers from supporters of both teams.

The protagonists came out in full battle gear right from the onset of the game. Jameson Chu buried two early triples, while teammate Gervi Mark Dy added one of his own to lead the Stephenians’ early charge. The Dragons answered back with points from seven players led by lanky 6’2 center Mark Lester Hung and power forward John Kenneth Padilla. At the end of the first quarter, the two teams were deadlocked at 16-all.

It was still a see-saw battle on the second canto as both teams had offensive and defensive gems. Brian Martin Ng scored 7 points, while Chu added 5 more points to keep the Stephenians at pace with the Dragons, which had 18 points from six players combined. The teams were still tied at 34 points each after 20 minutes of play.

The Dragons built an early 12 point lead on the first four minutes of the third quarter. However, the Stephenians applied a full court press, accompanied by skipper Louie Jefferson Espejo’s 9-point surge, to cut the lead down to just 4 at the end of the quarter, 55-51.

In the last quarter, CKSC’s started pulling away with its triple tower, Mark Lester Hung, Wearvin Rames Payales, and Darren Royce Tiu, scoring at will. 3-year veteran Terenz Chuahay also sank two goals in the last quarter. The Stephenians made a last ditch effort with Dy sinking 6 more points but their effort became futile as six of their players succumbed to cramps one after the other. As the final buzzer sounded, the Blazing Scout Dragons were well ahead of the Stephenians, 81-63, to claim its fourth crown in a row.

As confettis fell from the roof and party poppers cracked from all sides of the court, CKSC President Dr. Bee Ching Ong Kian Koc, Scout Coordinator Judelio Yap, Athletic Coordinator Yolanda Co, Team Managers Kua Yan Yee, Hannibal Chua, Robert Guerra, Joyce Dy, and Wai Lin Sing, and the largely CKSC crowd joined the jubilant team in celebration. The Chiang Kai Shek College Blazing Scout Dragons’ successful stint was also made possible through the collective support of Accel Sports, Burlington Socks, New Maxima Tire Supply, Steelhaus Marketing, DC-Trio, Sing Merchandising, and Lights and Lamps.

More popularly known as the BP Cup, the annual tournament is increasingly becoming one of the most anticipated events in the Scouting community. It is staged by the Filipino-Chinese Scout Club, with the Rotary Club of Bagumbayan Manila, Pro-Ad Marketing Communications, E-Signal Marketing, Senator Richard F. Gordon, Jr., and Marikina Congressman Del R. de Guzman supporting this year’s tourney. The tournament is named after Lord Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden Powell, who founded the World Scouting movement in 1907.

CKSC (81): Padilla – 17; Hung – 16; Chen – 8; Payales – 7; Chuahay – 5; Tiu – 5; Ong – 4; Ngan – 4; Lit – 3; Paz – 3; Benavides – 3; Fernandez – 2; Dy – 1.

SSHS (63): Espejo – 17; Chu – 16; Dy – 14; Ng – 9; Siy – 3; Catungal – 3; Tan – 1.