The two-time defending champion Xavier Juniors bucked spotty officiating to register a close 86-80 decision over Chiang Kai Shek College last January 13 for its second straight win in the 40th Freego Metro Manila Tiong Lian Basketball Association tournament held at the Chiang Kai Shek gym in Tondo.

The Golden Stallions got off to a lethargic start, shooting horrendously from the field (.429) and and making just 4-for-11 from the foul line to allow Chiang Kai Shek (.526) to take a 24-22 lead on a Gregorio Gimado basket.

Coach Budds Reyes’ charges, however, recovered their bearings in the second 10-minute quarter as Jeron Teng (six), Jose Anton Manuel (six) and Kevin Lim (five) combined for 15 of the Stallions’ 20 points for a 42-32 advantage at halftime.

Xavier was ahead by a dozen points three times (46-34, 60-48 and 62-50), the last at 62-50 to conclude the third period. With Teng saddled with four fouls (including three on charging infractions) and Manuel sidelined by cramps, CKSC rallied behind consecutive threes by Arvin Faustino and Jon Ngo to trail by just three points, 70-67, at the seven-minute mark of the fourth quarter.

After Teng scored inside for a 78-71 XS lead, Paul Aduana completed the season’s first four-point play (a three-pointer plus a free throw after being fouled) at the 1:59 mark to bring the Blue Dragons closer at 78-75.

The Gold and Blue knocked in four quick points, on a Donal Ong jumper and a Paolo Cabero layup off a steal, to up its lead to 82-75, time down to 1:15..

Faustino made three free throws off a three-point foul by Xavier as CKSC trimmed its deficit to just four, 82-78, with 1:02 left. Donal Ong struck from under and Xavier was up, 84-78, with 0:52.6 remaining.

Faustino scored off a steal with 0:23.9 left as CKSC kept the pressure, 84-80. Harold Ng finally sealed the deal for Xavier with an unmolested layup, 86-80, with 17.2 ticks remaining.

Xavier turned over the ball 37 times (against 32 by CKSC) and performed poorly from the free-throw line, 13-for-30 (.433), as Teng struggled with a 1-for-7 clip and Manuel shot 2-for-8.

The Golden Stallions, though, compensated for them with a 50.7 percent shooting (35-for-69) from the field and a 52-42 rebounding edge.

Lim topscored for Xavier with 20 points on 8-for-12 field shooting. Teng collected 17 points and plucked down 19 rebounds to go with his three assists and four steals.

Ong came off the bench to contribute 14 points on a 6-for-9 field-goal clip (including 2-for-three from the three-point area) and dish out seven assists.

Manuel, who sat out the final eight minutes with cramps, totalled 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Chiang Kai Shek was by Paul Aduana, who came off the bench to score 21 points.

Xavier seeks its third win in a row in the seven-school, six-week competitions when it battles St. Stephen’s HS on Saturday, January 16.

In the other game Wednesday night, St. Jude Catholic School also picked up its second consecutive victory with a 54-40 success against the debuting Stephenians.