With Kenneth Duremdes and Louie Kaw leading the way, the 40-above squad of the Filipino-Chinese Veterans Basketball Association (FCVBA) also advanced to the cross-over semifinals after drubbing Kuala Lumpur, 86-50, in the 25th ASEAN Veterans Basketball Tournament (AVBT) Wednesday at the Chiang Kai Shek College gym in Tondo.
The former PBA MVP scored 16 points as FCVBA took a 43-30 halftime lead before ripping the game wide apart in the third frame on the way to sweeping the Group A elims.
Duremdes was ably supported by Kaw who finished with 15 points while Dexter Quan and Lorenzo Lim chipped in 12 and 11 markers, respectively, as the FCVBA cagers finished the elims with a 2-0.
Not to be outdone, FCVBA’s 50-above and 60-above teams likewise barged into the semis by sweeping their own divisions in the tournament sponsored by Freego Jeans, Philippine Airlines, Rain or Shine, and Ironcon Builders.
Led by former La Salle star Kenneth Yap, Eduard Tio, Johnny Chua, and Julio Cruz, the 60-above squad clobbered Brunei, 82-49.
In his best game so far, Yap tallied 15 points and 7 assists, Chua scattered 14 while Cruz and Tio added 11 and 10 points as FCVBA topped Group A with a 3-0 card.
For the second straight game, Lucio “Bong” Tan Jr. put on a brilliant all-around show, burying 7 triples to finish with 30 points aside from posting 10 assists and 4 steals to win the Freego Player of the Game award.
Allan Caidic, another former PBA MVP, scattered 18 markers aside from dishing off 5 assists as the 50-above squad also finished their group elims with a perfect 3-0 card. Also shining were Gerry Tee and ex-Letran star Jerry Gonzales with 20 and 11 points, respectively.
Already in the final is the club’s 65-above squad of Terry Que and Jimi Lim which completed a two-game sweep of its group elims.