HAIL to the new princes of local basketball.
Jubilee Christian Academy made it a double celebration over the weekend as it defeated Philippine Cultural College, 53-36, in the deciding Game 3 of the Aspirants Division (14-under) best-of-three finals in the 7th Philippine Ching Yuen Athletic Association (PCYAA) basketball competitions to claim the crown for the first time in league history, a huge follow-up to its Developmental (12-Under) team that earlier also registered a title triumph for the first time ever.
Jubilee Christian Academy’s twin PCYAA championship success duplicated the feat of St. Stephen’s High School a year ago.
Jubilee Christian Academy finished the Aspirants tournament with a 10-1 record after sweeping the seven-game elimination phase.
In beating Cultural for the Aspirants diadem, Jubilee won for a second time in two days. The Jubileeans defeated the Golden Seagulls, 70-53, after dropping a 50-40 decision in the title series opener.
In its two victories in the finals, Jubilee beat Cultural on its own game – defense – and connected on its three-point bombs to capture the series and deny Cultural from repeating its conquest of the 14-Under tournament in 2013-14 (Season 1).
In Game Three, JCA upped its defense by several notches as the team held PCC scoreless in the game-altering second frame when it grabbed a 17-7 advantage at the break.
Its suffocating defense was accentuated by the frigid 0-for-19 shooting of off-form Cultural ace John Shi from the field and the ineffectiveness of three-point marksman Jason Dong. Dong could not deliver with his corner treys and only made one finally at the 1:47 mark with his team down, 47-34, and the outcome already determined. It was Dong’s only points coming from a 1-of-6 clip from three-point range, and 1-of-9 overall from the field.
Jude Hao topscored for Jubilee Christian Academy with 17 points, followed by Jowen Ng Lio, who nailed three of JCA’s five treys and totaled 13 markers in the low-scoring encounter.
Philippine Cultural College, which dethroned 2018 champion St. Stephen’s High School during the semifinals with a pair of victories, went a frigid 16 percent (10-of-62) in field-goal shooting in Game Three.
Renjiro Chavez chalked up 25 points but went only 9-for-30 from the field in no-relief service. He also had 10 rebounds and six steals but committed 15 of his team’s 31 turnovers. Shi labored for his seven points from the foul line (7-of-10) and made up for his seven turnovers and ineptness from the field with a game-high 17 rebounds.
Jubilee Christian Academy claimed its first-ever Developmental crown last Thursday with a 75-59 victory over MGC New Life Christian Academy in Game 2 to sweep the best-of-3 finals and complete the season with a perfect 10-0 record.
Jubilee took the series opener, 72-67.
Sheehan Tan and Karl Uy were the household names during the entire season but it was the star of little-publicized Robert Pornel that shone brightest in Game Two as he sparked the JCA comeback with his booming threes that broke the backs of the New Lifers.
JCA trailed, 52-48, after three quarters but opened the payoff period with a 16-0 bomb to move safely ahead, 64-52, at the 6:03 mark. The team outpointed MGC, 27-7, in the frenetic fourth quarter as Tan went to town with 19 markers.
Tan finished with 35 points but it was Pornel who jumpstarted JCA’s climb to history with two consecutive triples – the first on a banking trey at the 7:43 mark that shattered a 52-all deadlock and the second at the 7:18 mark for his fifth and sixth triples of the game that put his team ahead for good, 58-52.
Tan subsequently took matters into his own hands. In addition to his 35 points, he collected a game-high 27 rebounds and dished out nine assists in a no-relief 40-minute action – a follow-up to his 36-point, 23-rebound, 7-assist effort in Game One.
Pornel finished with 18 markers – all from three-point territory (6-for-17) and Uy added a pedestrian dozen points and 14 reebies.
MGC had three players in twin-digit scores – Sean Lim, 16 (and 19 boards), Kurt Sotingco, 14, and Adam Uy, 12.
Meanwhile, basketball games in the Boys Juniors division and Ladies Juniors division will unwrap on Saturday January 11, 2020.
Philippine Cultural College is the defending champion in Boys Juniors and Saint Jude Catholic School is the reigning titlist in Ladies Juniors.
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