ROBERT’S International Academy Panda Rockets settled for fourth place in the Passerelle division of the 2018 SBP-Passerelle Twin Tournament National Finals over the weekend in Pampanga.
Representing Visayas, St. Robert’s lost to International School for Better Beginnings (ISBB, Luzon) 72-88 in the battle for third place.
St. Robert’s fell behind early in the game and trailed 26-21 at the end of the opening period but responded with a strong performance in the second canto to tie the count 37-all.
In the second half St. Robert’s lost grip as the ISBB surged to a 60-54 advantage before pulling away for good in the fourth period, going up by as high as 16 points.
Prior to this the Panda Rockets dropped all of their three matches in the preliminary round, including against eventual champion Nazareth School of National University.
Despite the disappointing campaign, St. Robert’s head coach John Guanco remained positive about their showing.
“I am still happy about how we carried the fight,” Guanco said. “Our experience will be useful ahead of our (2018) Iloilo PRISAA (secondary boys basketball semifinal round) campaign.”
St. Robert’s earned the right to represent Visayas in the two-day national competition after dominating the regional finals earlier this month in Bacolod City./PN
