St. Bridget leads BEST WBL tourney

MANILA, Philippines - St. Bridget School used balanced scoring to negate Montessori Integrated School gunner Maria Antonia Wong’s explosive outing and hack out a 47-45 victory in the 17-and-Under division of the Best Center Women’s Basketball League at the Xavier School gym over the weekend.

Wong fired 21 points, but her all-around performance proved not enough to power MIS past the SBS lady cagers, who had Ma. Isabel Balleser as the only player to score in double figures with 11 points.

St. Bridget, however, had other heroines in Ma. Maria Therese Medina, Jillian Gutierrez, Jaemee Hernandez and other role players to thank for its Group B lead in this Milo-sponsored tournament after beating Southville International School and Colleges, 53-49, in its other game.

St. Pedro Poveda is the only other Group B winner after it thumped De La Salle Santiago Zobel, 33-29.

In Group A, it was Assumption College over Community of Learners, 72-48; and San Beda-Alabang over La Salle College Antipolo, 48-35.

Seventeen-and-Under developmental games saw Miriam past School of St. Anthony, 41-22, in Group A; Colegio San Agustin past St. Scholastica’s College, 65-11, and St. Theresa’s College over School of the Holy Spirit, 24-16, in Group B.

In the 25-and-Under category, De La Salle Lipa walloped University of the Philippines-Diliman, 54-31, while University of Asia and the Pacific beat Don Bosco Technical College, 39-35, to share the lead.

The lone 13-and-under competition saw Assumption Antipolo demolishing Miriam-B, 65-8.

Opening ceremonies were attended by the participating schools with coach Pat Aquino, who had 12 members of the RP-18 squad playing in the WBL, giving inspirational talk.

St. Paul College Pasig Elementary Cheering Squad, overall champion in the Milo cheering competition, also performed its winning routine.