Kobe Paras struggles in season debut

MANILA, Philippines – Kobe Paras had a lackluster season debut but LA Cathedral Phantoms still breezed past through Simi Valley, 67-40, in the San Fernando Valley Invitational at the Granada Hills High School gym in California Thursday (Friday Manila time).

According to a report by The Los Angeles Times, Paras ended up with only four points on 2-of-9 shooting, left the game in the second quarter and never returned.

The Phantoms struggled with their outside shots but still led from start to finish, thanks to crack point guard Milan Acquaah and Leandro Amador.

Picking up from where he left off, Acquaah led the Phantoms with 15 points while Amador chipped in 13.

The cat-quick, 6-foot-1 Acquaah had 32 points and 11 rebounds in the Phantom's 81-70 win over Morse High School last Dec. 6, a game which Paras missed as he just came back from the Philippines for a short vacation during the Thanksgiving holiday.

The 6-foot-8 Amador, an exchange student from Brazil, keyed LA Cathedral's hot start scoring half of the team's 16 points in the opening quarter while they held Simi Valley to just eight.

The Phantoms will next play St. Genevieve on Friday (Saturday Manila time) in the five-day invitational tournament.