Ateneo-Davao, Xavier pull thru

Ateneo de Davao and Xavier University pulled off victories over their respective rivals to gain the headstart in the opener of the Sunkist Youth Basketball Championship yesterday at the Makati Coliseum.

The Davaoeños wore down the University of Santo Tomas quintet to fashion out a 68-59 victory as they moved within a victory from advancing to the next round of this event patterned after the World Championship following the exclusion of Philippine College of Criminology.

The PCCr team failed to meet the deadline for submission of requirements, forcing the organizing Sports Vision Management Group, Inc. to drop it from the list, thus reducing the Group A cast to three and the total number of teams to 15.

But the depth of the competing field remained as talent-laden as ever with the Xavier cagers serving notice of their bid by demolishing the University of San Jose-Recoletos, 66-52, in Group B of this four-division tournament sponsored by Sunkist.

Kristoffer Robles fired 20 points on a 5-of-9 stint from the perimeter area while Aaron Medina and Raymund Lumanlan tossed in 15 points apiece for Ateneo de Davao, which dominated the boards, 33-19.

Xavier School guns for its second victory against Mapua at 3 p.m., also at the Makati Coliseum even as Ateneo de Davao takes an early rest day. In the other match at 5 p.m., USJ-R tangles with UPIS.