Giant killer St. Jude Catholic School took the last trip to the Final Four after posting an incredible 84-79 victory over No. 2 seed Grace Christian College Monday night (Feb. 9) in the Juniors Division playoffs of the 39th Metro Manila Tiong Lian Basketball Association high school tournament held at the Uno Gym in Tondo, Manila.

In registering one of the greatest reversals in Tiong Lian history, the Judenites became the first-ever No. 7 seed to advance to the semifinals after beating Grace Christian College twice in their quarterfinal series.

Hardworking frontliner Kim Lo, who had 23 points, 17 rebounds, eight steals and four assists in an 85-70 win over Grace in their first quarterfinal encounter, put together another outstanding all-around effort in the rubber match, collecting 19 points, 23 boards, three blocks and two steals as St. Jude earned a Final Four berth for the second consecutive year.

Three other Judenites scored in double figures Monday night. They are Derrence Lam, 17 (three three-pointers); Martin Go, 14 (two threes); and Jason Ligad, 12 (three threes).

Grace Christian (4-4), which lost four of its last five assignments, was led by senior guard Christian So, who had 23 markers. Lawrence Anthony Chua added 18, and Kerwin Tiu and Justin Ngo each tallied 12. Chua, Tiu and Ngo, who also grabbed 13 boards, also are seniors.

The semifinals will be held Wednesday night (Feb. 11).

Top seed Xavier School, which gained an automatic ticket to the semifinals with its immaculate 6-0 record in the single round-robin elimination phase of the seven-school competitions, will clash with St. Stephen’s (4-3) and St. Jude Catholic School (3-5) will go up against host Uno High School (5-3).

Defending champion Xavier School and upset-conscious St. Jude Catholic School will enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage over their respective foes in the Final Four, meaning that both schools need only to win today to arrange a best-of-three final showdown. St. Stephen’s HS and Uno HS, on the other hand, must win twice to earn a berth in the championship series.

During the elimination round, Xavier blasted St. Stephen’s HS, 97-70, while Uno trounced St. Jude, 60-52.

St. Jude won just once in its first six assignments (including a five-game losing streak following a season-opening victory) to rank seventh and last in the elimination phase.

St. Jude, though, still made it to the playoffs only because all seven member schools qualified for the postseason. Then, in the quarterfinals, the Judenites defeated Grace Christian twice to advance to the semifinals.

This year, two of the three quarterfinal series were extended to a rubber match and the No. 2 seed (GCC) unceremoniously fell by the wayside.

No. 3 Uno was upset by No. 6 Hope Christian High School, 74-72, in their first quarterfinal meeting but bounced back with a 69-66 victory last Feb. 6. Last year’s third-placers, the Uneans thus reached the semifinals for the second consecutive year.

Only No. 4 St. Stephen’s HS finished its quarterfinal assignment early, disposing of No. 5 Chiang Kai Shek College, 69-58, to secure its second Final Four berth in three years.

For the CKSC, it was the first time in four years that it failed to advance past the quarterfinals. The Blue Dragons reached the finals the past three years, tangling with Xavier School each time and winning the title in 2007 behind burly center Justin Chua, who’s now with the reigning UAAP champion Ateneo Blue Eagles.

Bannered by RP Youth team member and upcoming De La Salle rookie Gabriel Banal and prolific scorer Jeric Teng, Xavier registered a 2-1 victory over CKSC during the 2008 finals.

Teng’s back this season and is a cinch for his second consecutive Tiong Lian scoring crown with a 43.3-point average.

Xavier has been to the finals in each of the last eight years and is a heavy favorite to snare its second straight championship and third title in four years.

Employing a full-court trapping defense similar to the defensive staple of the De La Salle Green Archers in the UAAP, the Golden Stallions have bamboozled the opposition so far.

Significantly, it’s the befuddling pressure defense that fuels Xavier’s offense, often creating numerous steals and fastbreak opportunities for the troops of coach Lito Vergara.

In reaching the century mark (between 109 and 120 points) in four of their six appearances, the Gold and Blue have averaged a tournament-best 108.5 points per game while limiting their foes to 70.5 ppg for a winning margin of 38.0 ppg.

No doubt Teng’s a wizard on offense but it’s defense that will do the trick for Xavier School this year.

As the saying goes, defense wins championships.

In the Aspirants Division (for players age 14 and under), it will be a best-of-three finals between unbeaten Chiang Kai Shek College (6-0) and six-time reigning titlist Xavier School (5-1).

The series opener will be played on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, at the Uno Gym. The second game will be held the following day (Feb. 15). Game 3, if necessary, will be on Feb. 18 (Wednesday).

During the elimination round, CKSC beat Xavier School, 96-91.

A year ago, Xavier School scored a 2-0 decision over CKSC in the finals to claim its sixth consecutive crown.