Tams repel Stags, stay in Final 4 hunt

MANILA, Philippines - Far Eastern U hardly missed the services of its former two ace playmakers as it dominated San Sebastian, 83-73, yesterday to remain in the race for the last Final Four berth of the Philippine Collegiate Champions League at the Ynares Arena in Pasig City.

With RR Garcia and Terrence Romeo now in the pro league, the Tams had no problems adjusting as Mark Belo, Achi Inigo, Anthony Hargrove and Mark Tolomia stepped up and combined for 58 points to more than make up for the absence of their top two scorers.

Belo, a native of Cotabato, spearheaded the Morayta-based squad’s charge with 19 points and completed a double-double job with 14 rebounds while dishing off three assists. Hargrove also turned in a double-double effort of 14 points and 13 boards while Tolomia and Inigo took care of the backcourt chores left by the high-scoring tandem of Garcia and Romeo.

Tolomia and Inigo ended up firing a combined 25 points they laced with five triples.

The Tams thus arranged a duel with National U, which relied on another strong effort by Bobby Ray Parks Jr. to turn back University of the East, 73-63, last Monday at the same venue.

“It’s hard to replace RR and Terrence but I’m happy my players plugged those holes,” said FEU coach Nash Racela.

The victory also kept FEU on course for a third championship in the annual event staking P100,000 to the winner.

“We’re taking it a step at a time,” said Racela.

CJ Perez fired a team-high 20 points for the Stags, who played minus coach Topex Robinson due to his PBA commitment.

Parks, a former two-time UAAP MVP, followed up his strong 24-point effort in a 70-67 win over Perpetual Help with an 18-point performance to power the Bulldogs, who played minus Emmanuel Mbe.

To advance to the Final Four alongside reigning collegiate champions La Salle of the UAAP and San Beda of the NCAA and Visayan winner Southwestern U, FEU and NU will have to beat each other and the winner of the University of Santo Tomas-Letran showdown, also on Monday.