Xavier foils La Salle for SBP crown

MANILA, Philippines - Xavier School thwarted La Salle, 51-47, to clinch the 9-11 crown in the Small Basketeers Philippines section of the SBP-Passerelle twin tournament National Capital Region finals at the Pasig City Sports Complex recently.

Xavier’s Darren Gabriel Sytia and Chiang Kai Shek’s Dominique Ansis Cuevas took the MVP awards in their respective categories while SBP’s Marist School and Passerelle’s Ateneo-A bagged the Sportsmanship Awards.

Xavier’s victory also ended La Salle’s three-year reign.

Chiang Kai Shek College, meanwhile, retained the crown in the 12-14 Passerelle match, trouncing arch rival San Beda College, 61-55.

NCR champs Xavier School and Chiang Kai Shek College will thus meet the other regional champions from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao in the national finals set Dec. 12-14 at the Magis Eagles Arena of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo De Cebu.

Meanwhile, the SBP-Passerelle regional finals will be held Oct. 17-20 at the University of the Assumption in San Fernando City, Pampanga for Luzon, Nov. 7-10 at Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental for Mindanao and Nov. 21-24 at Capiz Gym in Roxas City for Visayas.

The SBP Passerelle Twin Tournament has assembled 600 of the country’s most promising cagers this year with kids 9-11 years old competing in the SBP tournament and kids 12-14 years competing in Passerelle.

Sponsored by Milo and supported by Chris Sports, the SBP-Passerelle twin tournament was launched in 1986 and is organized by the award-winning Basketball Efficiency and Scientific Training (BEST) Center. It provides budding young basketeers a platform to showcase their basketball skills, as well as foster camaraderie and sportsmanship among the participating schools, the players and their parents.

For details, call the BEST Center hotlines 411-6260 or 371-3065, or visit BEST Center Sports Inc. on Facebook.