St. Louis Philex best in Baguio Nike

BAGUIO CITY – In a repeat of last year’s final, Saint Louis Philex High School exacted revenge on Saint Louis Laboratory High School, 12-6, Friday to become the first finalist in the Nike 3-on-3 basketball championship at the University of Baguio gym.

Joel Caramat knocked in a pair of shots from beyond the arc to give Saint Louis an early 4-2 lead. He led all scorers with six points.

Joel Caramat scored six points, including two important winners to lead Philex over the same team whom they bowed to last year. Russel Rongo added four points while Felix Sia and Philip Gonzales chipped in a point each for Philex, mentored by Enrico Balagot.

Philex earned P12,000 worth of Nike apparel and an all-expenses paid trip to Manila on Aug. 18 at SM Mega Mall where they will face the other qualifiers from Bacolod, Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro and Manila in the national finals.

After Caramat drilled in the first of his two-point binges that gave Philex a 2-1 lead, the boys from the mining town of Tuba, Benguet never looked back and dominated the 10-minute contest.

A total of 20 schools took part in the event described by Nike sports marketing director Auty Villarama as a "huge success."