By Jerome Lagunzad
Games Saturday
(Olivarez College gym)
12 noon – CdSL vs CEU
2 p.m. – BulSU vs Olivarez
With Benin native Soulemane Chabi Yo doing that he does best, Colegio de San Lorenzo handled also-ran Bulacan State University with ease, 96-71, to gain a share of the lead in the Universities and Colleges Basketball League (UCBL) Season 2 at the Olivarez College gym in Sucat, Parañaque City.
The 6-foot-6 Chabi Yo was almost everywhere that enabled him to produce 24 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks, three steals and two assists in just 25 minutes of action.
“There’s no doubt that he’s been the driving force behind our sustained performance this season,” said CdSL coach Boni Garcia of Chabi Yo, who steered them to a seventh straight win and 12th overall in 13 matches, tying idle defending champion Centro Escolar University in the process.
Jan Formento added 11 points to lead the Griffins’ bench mob who accounted for 43 points, 36 more than their Gold Gears counterparts, priming up themselves for a titanic collision with the Scorpions tomorrow with the playoffs’ top seed on the line.
Abraham Crisostomo had a double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds while reigning league MVP Dominck Fajardo had a game-high 27 points for BulSU, which stayed at sixth spot with a 3-10 mark.
Earlier, veteran big man Jorey Napoles saved his best for last as Technological Institute of the Philippines survived Lyceum-Batangas 78-75 on Thursday night to close out its campaign on a positive note.
The 6-foot-3 Napoles put on an MVP-worthy performance on his farewell game with 36 points and 21 rebounds – both career-highs – while setting up Jopet Soriano for the game-clinching lay-up with three seconds to play to help the Engineers hold off the Pirates’ fightback.
