St. Clare seals title clash with Marinerong Pilipino

BRT Sumisip Basilan-St. Clare bundled out Centro Escolar University on Thursday, 73-59, to head to the 2019 PBA D-League Foundation Cup Finals at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

Joshua Fontanilla led the Saints with 15 points in the title series-clinching which would be their first.

Chris Dumapig chipped in with 11 points and six rebounds as all 11 players fielded scored.

“Every player wanted to make the Finals,” said coach Stevenson Tiu, who called the shots after missing Game Two on Monday due to flu-like symptoms. “They told me that they would want to play in the Finals, and they worked hard for it.”

The Saints now have their sights on Marinerong Pilipino, which they will face in a best-of-three series that starts Oct. 3.

This will also be Tiu’s third Finals appearance, with his first two with Che’Lu Bar and Grill last season.

From a deadlock at 43-all with 2:18 left in the third quarter, the Saints dropped a 14-4 bomb for a 57-47 lead early in the payoff period.

BRT Sumisip-St. Clare would never lose hold of the driver’s seat since, leading by as many as 17 points, 73-56, after a Fontanilla bucket with 1:18 left.

Jerome Santos had 16 points and five rebounds to lead CEU.