Red Lions, Soaring Falcons set up championship clash

BAYUGAN CITY, Philippines — The Wengburs Apartelle and Ella Store-San Beda Red Lions downed the Vincare Pharma-University of the Perpetual Help Altas, 66-59, to stay unscathed after three games in the Mayor Kirk Asis Open Invitational Basketball Tournament 2024 on Friday, June 28, at the Lope Asis Memorial Gym here.

RC Calimag  scored 12 points laced with three rebounds and one assist as the reigning NCAA champions Red Lions gained an outright entry to the championship with a perfect 3-0 record.

The boys of coach Yuri Escueta will face next the ARQ Builders-Adamson University Soaring Falcons in the winner-take-all final.

Under the guidance of coach Nash Racela, the Soaring Falcons blasted the Bustamante Construction-University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers, 74-57, and then fended off the Ariano s Construction-Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) Generals, 88-84, to secure the remaining final ticket with a 3-1 win-loss card.

The winner of the San Beda-Adamson duel scheduled at 3 p.m. today (Saturday, June 29) will take home P300,000. The runner-up will pocket P200,000.

Before the Red Lions and the Soaring Falcons take on each other, the Lancers and the Generals will slug it out for the P150,000 third prize at 1 p.m.

No team will go home empty-handed in the three-day tilt as the fourth and fifth placers will receive P100,000 and P75,000, respectively, according to coach Van Halen Parmis who is now on his 13th year in organizing the biggest and grandest hardcourt spectacle in the Caraga region.