Playing a hustle game against stubborn opponents, the Philippine Christian University -Cavite pulled off a 95-82 win against Western Colleges on Friday and claimed the first ticket in the championship for the Cavite leg of the inaugural National Basketball Championship (NBC) Inter-High at the Bacoor Coliseum.
Genesky Bajao, Jr., poured in 26 points to lead four other Baby Dolphins in double-digit output and overshadowed the triple-double performances of Western top guard Johnrey Galarpe -- 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists -- to secure the final slots in this knockout-format tournament organized by Jamsap Entertainment Corporation headed by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jojo Flores.
The Western cagers led by Galarpe fought valiantly in the early going matching every scoring run of PCU as they closed the first half in just a single-digit margin, 48-39.
But the Baby Dolphins used their vast experience in high-level junior basketball as the NCAA member school outscored their rival in the third period, 28-16, to set the tone and prevent any comeback from the Western side.
Alvhryx Nicor added 18 points for PCU, while Bryan Padilla and Carlos Macas scored 13 and 12 points, respectively.
PCU faces off with the winner of Gateway and Fiax which still playing as of press time in the win-or-go-home championship duel scheduled on Saturday (Nov.4) at 3:00 p.m. at the same venue.
