Doves close in on NCRAA men’s title

St. Francis played with the poise and grace of a true champion, outclassing a gritty Lyceum squad, 70-55, to move within a win of a third straight National Capital Region Athletic Association (NCRAA) men’s championship.

The Doves survived the Pirates’ pressing defense and Chico Lanete’s fourth-quarter explosion in claiming the series opener of their best-of-three title series at the San Andres gym.

A victory in tomorrow’s Game 2 makes the Doves the first team to score a three-peat in the 10-year history of the league sponsored by Airfreight 2100, Villa de Oro-Boracay and www.universitybelt.com/ncraa.

The St. Francis Baby Doves also moved a win away from taking the juniors title, beating the Colegio de San Lorenzo Griffins, 100-90. The Lyceum Lady Pirates handed the La Salle Lady Archers their first loss of the season, 66-48, in Game 1.