MANILA, Philippines—Chiang Kai Shek College denied Xavier star Jeron Teng a glorious high school exit with a 70-50 victory Wednesday in the semifinals of the Metro Manila Tiong Lian Basketball Association (MMTBA) Tournament Wednesday at the Uno High School gym.
The Blue Dragons overcame the Golden Stallions twice-to-beat edge to march straight to the finals against unbeaten Hope Christian.
Forward John Kevin Baytan, one of the leading candidates for the coveted MVP plum, shone for the Blue Dragons. He knocked in a triple that greased CKSC’s path to a 16-8 start that left Xavier reeling early.
The CKSC defense also smothered the 6-foot-3 Teng, whose struggles allowed the Blue Dragons to pull away, 55-37.
CKSC forced a knockout match with an 83-79 win last Monday.
It was a sorry loss for Xavier, which was not only aiming to send Teng off on a championship celebration, but also notch the schools 11th championship in the tournament backed by Regan Industrials Sales Inc. and World Balance.
The Blue Dragons, traditional heavyweights in the tournament, advanced to the finals for the first time since 2007.
Baytan finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds for the Blue Dragons while Carlo Young and Joshua Tan added 15 and 10 points, respectively.
Teng closed out his celebrated high school career with 18 points, but he struggled as he missed 14 of his 18 attempts from the field.