Uno High cagers top jr division of PCYAA

CHARLES Chong added luster to his blooming career by lifting Uno High School past St. Jude Catholic School,  54-53, on Friday en route to  the Juniors Division crown of the 1st Philippine Ching Yuen Athletic Association (PCYAA) at Uno High School Gym in Manila.

Delivering the goods when needed most, Chong scored all his seven points in the payoff period, including the game-winning layup with five seconds left, to help the Uneans become the first champion team of the tournament.

Chong’s heroics came after St. Jude’s Francis Go uncharacteristically missed his two crucial free throws with just 13.5 seconds remaining.

That gave the Uno cagers the opportunity to plot their final play for the win and a slice of history in the tournament sponsored by Boysen Paints, Valentino Watches and Clocks, Sony Xperia, Duralite Sandals and Nougat Peanut Bar.

With time winding down, St. Jude’s Earl See hurriedly launched a long three-point shot at the buzzer, but it failed to find its mark,  triggering a wild celebration from the Uno camp.

The title win was a fitting farewell present for Uno coach Milton Yu who is set to retire after 30 years of dedicated service to the school which entered the finals enjoying a twice-to-beat advantage after completing a 10-game sweep of the double-round eliminations.

Uno, however, was forced to play a rubber match after St. Jude hacked out a  63-60 triple overtime win last Wednesday.

Gaining confidence, the Judenites took the initiative early, padding their lead to 12 points , 31-19, late in the first half.

But Uno recovered its bearing in the third quarter to narrow the gap. Chong then joined hands with Clinton Chua, Vic Jason See and Kyle Christian Tan in the fourth quarter where they knotted the score four times—the last at 50-50.

Chua led Uno with 17 points, highlighted by two triples, while See and Tan chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Renzel Yongco paced St. Jude with 20 points and six rebounds.