Wednesday, February 27, 2008 Heartbreak kid Abrio leads XU to victory By Lynde Salgados
THE third edition of St. Ignatius de Loyola Invitational Inter-School basketball tournament, which culminated here Sunday at XU gymnasium proved to be a decisive finish for host XU Senior Crusaders, Sacred Heart of Jesus Montessori School (SHJMS) and Corpus Christi.
On the individual side of it, the Loyola Cup gives XU's heartbreak kid Cris Abrio the chance to heal an old wound.
Practically reeling in despair after he missed two crucial free throws that allowed the COC Phinma Scorpions to win the 2007 Cosaa tertiary crown, the lefty guard Abrio was put in similar situation as the Crusaders battle another equally strong opponent in the championship.
This time around, however, Abrio managed to redeem himself as he took matters into his hands in less than two minutes in the final fourth quarter for the host team to beat the Liceo Titans.
With the game fought very closely, Abrio broke the ice with a three-pointer then capped XU's tight defense with another basket for a 4-point cushion with 26 seconds remaining.
The Titans had no answer for that. And as the final buzzer sounded, the Crusaders ran to center court for a wild celebration.
"Abrio was finally vindicated. And it's very timely kay last game na `to niya kay mo-graduate na siya next month," says XU Athletic Director Gerardo "Boboy" Sabal as he also commends rookie coach Rocky Calingin for his first title win in the inter-school cagefest.
Sacred Heart's 6-foot-6 behemoth Phillip "Papot" Paredes, who's now a member of the RP Youth, also added excitement when he returns from Manila and play in the championship round.
Paredes punctuated Sacred Heart's conquest of Pilgrim in the 17-under category with a thunderous slamdunk towards the end of the game.
"Actually, nibalik siya (Paredes) to fulfill his committment of playing to our team (COAA delegation) in the regional meet," coach Boy Dacoco said of his fast-rising protege.
It's actually a double whammy for Sacred Heart as its elementary squad also won over Xavier University Grade School.
Sacred Heart's 14-under team, meanwhile, yielded to Corpus Christi juniors of coach Dodo Bernados.
"We are very happy with the outcome of the third season. We'll be bigger next year as we have sent invitations to Iligan and Bukidnon schools to participate," added Sabal.
Corpus Christi finished third in grade school division. Bryle Salvaña and John Paul Castañares of XUGS, Albert Pacturan of Corpus Christi and Sacred Heart's Paolo Macapayag and Harvey Alvarez made it to the Mythical Five.
Xavier University high school is the third-placer in 14-under level. Corpus Christi's Joseph Alboladora and Elmer Labis lead the Mythical Five along with Jasper Bautista of Pilgrim, Roldan Sara of Sacred Heart and Vo-Van Palomar of XUHS.
The 17-under's top-5 cagers were PJ Siarot of Pilgrim, Michol Sorela of Corpus Christi, Jigger Sabal of XUHS and Sacred Heart's Richard Kwong and Raymond Peñalosa.
Spearheaded by Xavier University, the Loyola Cup is sanctioned by the Bap-SBP and co-presented by San Miguel Corporation. It attracted a total of 27 teams.
Also present during the closing and awarding ceremonies are Bap-SBP Executive Pato Gregorio, Bap-SBP Regional Head Rey Baula and Xavier University President Fr. Jett Villarin, SJ. (With CAUAO reports)
