AN annual ritual it has been for this battled-scarred Hoopster to personally witness the basketball finals of the Quezon City Athletic Association (QCAA) league.
Now on its ninth edition, the QCAA cage finals in the five different divisions will be held on Saturday, October 17, at the Saint Claire School gym along West Avenue, Q.C.
The quintupleheader starts at 8:00 a.m. with Ateneo Grade School Team A clashing with School of Saint Anthony for the 12 years-old-and-under Boys’ Elementary Division championship.
It will be a rematch of the 2013 finals won by the Blue Eaglets. A year ago, Kings Montessori School shellacked Ateneo Grade School Team B, 65-41, for the title.
In the Boys’ High School Developmental Division finals at 9:30 a.m., it will be Stella Maris versus Sienna College for the title. The winner succeeds International Christian School.
At 11 a.m., Cubao-based Stella Maris and Sacred Heart Academy of Novaliches will duke it out for the 14-and-under Boys’ Elementary Division diadem.
The SHAN Baby Bruins are bidding for a repeat after topping the 13-and-under competitions in 2014 (upgraded to 14-and-under this year) with a 78-68 decision over 2013 titlist Jubilee Christian Academy.
Heady Gabriel Paolo Salazar made three triples and scored 24 points and pint-sized playmaker Jon Lex Penaga tallied 20 markers, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out three assists for SHAN to earn Most Valuable Player honors.
Meanwhile, Angelicum College guns for its seventh consecutive championship in the Girls High School Division when the Lady Roebucks take on Saint Bridget’s School in the titular match at 12:30 p.m.
The AC belles have been virtually invincible since the QCAA was established in 1997. Last year, the Dominican school walloped Jubilee Christian Academy, 82-51, in the finals. Hardworking Baby Charmaine Torres registered a double-double with 25 scores and 10 boards for Angelicum College as she romped away with her third straight MVP award.
The main game of the quintuple finals playdate is scheduled to be played at 2 p.m. It pits defending champion and No. 1 seed Sacred Heart Academy of Novaliches against the winner of last night’s playoff encounter between Saint Vincent School and Claret School in the finals of the Boys High School Competitive Division.
The SHAN Bruins, who are seeking their third title in four seasons, edged Mother of Perpetual Help School, 81-80, in the 2014 finals.
Cerebral Bruins guard Earl Salazar collected 31 points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals in 38 minutes to secure the MVP hardware.
Expect prominent collegiate scouts and coaches to be among the faces in the crowd as the QCAA cage competitions have traditionally been a hunting ground for prospects to the major schools in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
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