Bullpups claim NBTC crown

MANILA, Philippines — National U-Nazareth School repelled overseas powerhouse Fil-Nation Select USA, 75-64, and completed a three-peat in the Smart-NBTC National Finals Division 1 yesterday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

RJ Colonia rifled in 23 points while UAAP MVP Reinhard Jumamoy posted a 16-15-10 triple-double plus five steals as the top-seeded Bullpups capped a sweep of the 24-team tournament.

NUNS, which scored a 91-90 double-overtime win over Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu in the semifinals, thus atoned for its fall in the UAAP juniors basketball against Far Eastern U-Diliman.

The Bullpups did it in roaring fashion with a finale win against a stacked squad from the United States featuring Gilas Pilipinas youth and Filipino-American stalwarts Caelum Harris, Jacob Bayla and Zain Mahmood.