Wednesday, November 12, 2008 Tay Tung cagers top SBP Visayas tourney By Henry C. Villalva
BACOLOD Tay Tung High School, mentored by Negros Basketball Association (NBA) tournament commissioner Bobby Tee, clinched two easy wins in the elimination round of the 2008 Milo-sponsored SBP-Passerelle Visayas Regional Championships.
It went on to nip Ateneo de Iloilo, 56-55, to top the Visayas regional qualifying event, under the SBP category at the West Negros University Gym last weekend.
The Tay Tung cagers bucked injuries to four key players sustained during their elimination round match against University of San Carlos-North of Cebu in winning over their Iloilo rivals as Kirell Brandon Montalbo, who topscored with 26 points, suffered from leg and stomach cramps. Roylyn Dormido suffered from hand and shoulder injury, while Jean Mitchell Morales with a swollen knee, and Roland Malate from injured hand and legs.
Also scoring for the Tay Tung cagers were Dormido with eight points, Orvie Bautista and Zachary William Enriquez with six apiece, Malate with four while Morales, Frantz Nicholas Chua and Daniel Lo chipped in with two points each for the win which secured for the Bacolod-based squad a berth in the Milo Small Basketeers Philippines-Passerelle National Championship slated in Iloilo City on Nov. 22-23 at the University of San Agustin Gym.
The other members of the champion Bacolod Tay Tung High School team are Sean Karl Javellana, Ricky Sales, James Chua, Luke Liza, John Vergara, Andrew Ablao and Chad Beasley Lim.
Tay Tung defeated Filamer Christian High School of Roxas City, 67-17, then scuttled USC-North, 58-47 before it escaped Ateneo de Iloilo in the title match.
Both Tay Tung and Ateneo de Iloilo ended the elimination round with 2-0, win loss cards, although tournament organizers decided to forego the crossover semis and go straight to the title match between the two squads to decide the championship.
