Chiang Kai Shek whips St. Stephen

MANILA, Philippines - Defending champion Chiang Kai Shek College completed a five-game sweep of the first round by trouncing host St. Stephen’s High School, 99-64, in the 43rd Metro Manila Tiong Lian Basketball Association-BonChon Chicken Championship Saturday at the CKSC gym in Manila.

The Blue Dragons trailed their rivals, 16-19, at the end of the first half but gained momentum in the second where they took a 28-13  for a 44-32 halftime lead they preserved to become the only unbeaten in the six-team tournament presented by BonChon Chicken.

Carlo Young led the Dragons with 20 points despite disappointing 7-of-16 shooting from the field. His first of four triples sparked the team’s vicious run in the second quarter.

Three other CKSC players scored in double figures with Kimlee Bayquin (16) and Jayson Jimenez (15), scoring mostly  in the third quarter where they pulled away for good.

Two other routs marked the weekend matches. Hope Christian High School continued their recovery with a 109-35 win over Grace Christian College while Xavier School romped to a 107-30 win over St. Jude Catholic School in the tournament backed by Solar BTV, Molten and Summit Water.

With their wins, Xavier cemented its hold of second place with a 3-1 mark while Hope Christian improved to 3-2.

In the Aspirants game, Xavier drubbed Grace Christian, 70-30, for its third win in four starts.