Saints ride sweep to regional leg

ST. CLARE’S Elmer Managuelod drives off Robin Villamayor of PMMS during their PCCL match Wednesday at TIP gym. photo: RODEL ROTONI

St. Clare will head into the regional games buoyed by a sweep of the Metro Manila qualifiers in the Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL).

The Saints downed the Diliman College Blue Dragons, 64-58, to bag the Metro Manila leg crown with a 3-0 record yesterday at Technological Institute of the Philippines gym.

But even before the match, both the Saints and the Dragons had been assured of slots in the Luzon-Metro Manila regional games after securing the two top spots midway into the round-robin tournament.

League organizers had decided to award regional berths to the top two teams, instead of just the leg champion, after Ateneo begged off from the tournament.

The Dragons finished with a 2-1 slate, while the Philippine Merchant Marine School finished third with a 1-2 card after routing winless Philippine College of Criminology, 89-64.

The Luzon-Metro Manila regionals will fire off on Nov. 7 with UAAP semifinalist La Salle, NCAA Final Four teams Jose Rizal University and Perpetual Help and Naascu titlist Centro Escolar University already assured of slots.

The winner of that stage will claim the last berth in the Elite Eight that includes new UAAP champion National University and runner-up Far Eastern U, five-time NCAA king San Beda and runner-up Arellano, Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc.’s (Cesafi) Southwestern U and University of San Carlos, and Visayas-Mindanao leg winner University of Visayas.

The scores:

1. CLARE 64—Jamito 12, Gil 10, Ibarra 8, Acebron 8, Managuelod 7, Lunor 6, Dulalia 6, Redoh 6, Mendoza 1.

DILIMAN 58—Enriquez 20, Diego 12, Quattara 12, Barranco 6, Protacio 2, Akpa 2, Agulon 2, Panogadia 2.

Quarters: 15-10, 35-20, 51-42, 64-58