St. Jude Catholic School outlasted Xavier School, 70-63, and ruled the Philippine Ching Yuen Athletic Association (PCYAA) 10th Anniversary Invitational Basketball Tournament via a two-game sweep on Tuesday night at Uno High School Gym.
Kobe Chong exploded for 29 points apart from posting 11 rebounds, six assists, and five steals as the second-seeded Green Knights claimed their fourth PCYAA crown and first under coach Homer So.
Ethan Kaw added 18 points spiked by three triples to go with four boards, four steals, and two assists, while Keith Ngu was a sparkplug off the bench with his 12 points and five rebounds, including the dagger putback with a minute remaining that gave St. Jude a 68-63 lead.
The Green Knights had to overcome an 11-point third quarter deficit, 43-32, with 5:45 left in the canto and staged a 14-2 blast capped off by a Ngu jumper to take a 46-45 lead and never looked back.
That momentum rolled over to the final frame where St. Jude held Xavier to just 11 points as their defense held it together down the stretch to reign supreme in this 11-team tourney supported by Milk Magic, Spalding, Vital Purified Drinking Water, and Nexgen Asia.
Curiously, the Green Knights’ last championship in the only homegrown Fil-Chinese league in the country came in 2018 under Japs Cuan, now the Xavier head coach.
Brent Tiu led the Golden Stallions with 17 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and three steals, as Andre Tan got 14 points, 10 boards, and three blocks as they saw their dream of a perfect season foiled.
