Xavier wrests TL-BonChon cage lead

MANILA, Philippines - Multi-titled Xavier School romped to a 96-52 win over host St. Stephen’s High School to seize the solo lead in the 43rd Metro Manila Tiong Lian Basketball Association-BonChon Chicken Championship at the CKSC gym in Manila last Tuesday.

It was the Golden Stallions’ fourth straight and sixth overall in seven games as they got past reigning champion Hope Christian High School heading to the crucial stage of the double-round elims.

The win augured well for the Stallions who will be facing last year’s losing finalist Hope Christian High School in a crucial match on Saturday.

A Xavier victory would eliminate Hope Christian from title contention while paving the way for another chapter in their rivalry with CKSC which totes a 5-1 card.

In the other game, St. Jude Catholic School whipped Grace Christian College, 69-59, to move up to 2-5 while keeping GCC winless in seven games.

Meantime, CKSC and Xavier start their best-of-three title series in the Aspirants division with Junior Dragons gunning for a back-to-back championship.

Just like Xavier, Hope Christian is also on a roll, having won its last three games, including a vengeful 67-63 over Chiang Kai Shek College last Saturday for a 4-2 card.

Hope’s victory ended CKSC’s five-game winning streak and made the title race doubly exciting in the tournament presented by BonChon Chicken and supported by Solar BTV, Molten and Summit Water.

If Hope wins on Saturday, Xavier must beat CKSC on Tuesday next week to force a three-way tie for the lead. A simple application of the quotient system (points against divided by points for) among the tied teams will decide which two will qualify for the Finals.