Kobe Paras explodes for 30, lifts Phantoms to finals

MANILA, Philippines – Kobe Paras drew huge inspiration from his brother Andre as he played his best game on American soil to lift the La Cathedral Phantoms to the San Fernando Valley Invitational Finals with a 77-67 win against the Alemany Warriors at the Alemany High School gym on Monday (Tuesday Manila time).

With Andre watching him from the sidelines, Kobe exploded for 30 points. He waxed hot early in the game with eight first quarter points, including a 3-pointer to start the semifinal match.

The Phantom's 6-foot-7 Filipino starting shooting guard helped the still unbeaten team build a double-digit lead. Paras had 23 markers at the end of third quarter with the Phantoms comfortably ahead, 59-37.

The son of PBA Rookie-MVP Benjie Paras had a pair of spectacular dunks, which the fans received with wild chants of "M-V-P".

The Phantoms improved to 5-0, 4-0 since Paras joined the team after a short vacation back home during the Thanksgiving holiday in the US.

The Batang Gilas player was averaging 13 points per game for LA Cathedral entering the semifinals and gradually improved since a lackluster four-point season debut that saw him struggle on 2-of-9 shooting.

"I'm feeling more comfortable. The first game I did pretty bad. I just practiced a lot and listened to what coach wanted me to do," the 17-year-old Filipino phenom told The Los Angeles Times after the game.

Paras will be a marked man when LA Cathedral shoot for the SFVI title against Chaminade, which got 23 points from Michael Oguine, to beat Crespi, 64-53, in the other semifinal match.