St. Stephen, Pace clinch Final Four berths 

MANILA, Philippines – Pace Academy and St. Stephen’s High School booked their Final Four tickets in the Philippine Ching Yuen Athletic Association (PCYAA) 10th Anniversary Invitational Basketball Tournament.

The Pacers hurdled Philippine Cultural College, 69-54, while the Stephenians took down Chiang Kai Shek College, 63-47, in their knockout games on Thursday, February 16, at Uno High School Gym.

Axell Cue came up big for Pace with his 19 points, 17 rebounds, and 2 assists, while Kleivz Fong flirted with a triple-double after notching 15 points, 10 assists, and 8 boards.

Josh Cedrick Ong sparked St. Stephen’s barrage with his 18 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals off the bench, as brother Josh Charles Ong and Sam Ng also scored 17 each.

Their victories set them up to a semifinal clash against top two seeds Xavier School and St. Jude Catholic School in the 11-team league which is supported by Milk Magic, Spalding, Vital Purified Drinking Water, and Nexgen Asia.

No. 1 Xavier collides against St. Stephen’s at 2 pm, while No. 2 St. Jude faces Pace at 4 pm on Saturday, February 18  at the same venue, with the higher-seeded teams owning twice-to-beat advantages.

Game 2, if necessary, is on Tuesday, February 21.

It was still a valiant campaign for both PCC and CKSC, forcing these do-or-die games after their Game 1 victories after the Golden Seagulls taking the 72-64 win against Pace and the Blue Dragons scoring the 63-46 nipping of St. Stephen’s just two days prior.

Also participating in this tournament were Jubilee Christian Academy, MGC-New Life Christian Academy, Uno High School, Grace Christian College, and Hope Christian High School. – Rappler.com