HUA SIONG College of Iloilo Red Phoenix claimed the title in the 2nd Iloilo Governor’s Cup Regional Basketball after an 88-76 win over CenterPhil Montessori Silver Knights on Thursday at the Iloilo Sports Complex.
Reneil Gamboa led the way with 16 points while Reynold Tupas added 10 markers for the Red Phoenix, which swept all their matches in the three-day competition.
The Red Phoenix had a hot start as they went up by double digits behind Gamboa and Tupas. The Silver Knights tried to rally back but the Red Phoenix were able to respond with timely shots to preserve the win.
Other members of the Vincent Conlu-mentored Red Phoenix were Paolo Villariza, JJ Gerochi, Dave Bagatnan, Lorenzo Yu, Carlo Paguntalan, Jims Vincent Jimiera, Jaspher Antijedra, and Cvee Palileo.
On their way to the championship round the Red Phoenix eliminated Colegio de la Purisima while the Silver Knights escaped with a 72-70 win over St. Robert’s International Academy Panda Rockets.
For finishing in the top two, the Red Phoenix and the Silver Knights were moving to the Iloilo Province Goodwill Games, where the winner will represent Visayas in the Breakdown Basketball National Games in Manila.
University of the Negros Occidental-Recoletos and Ateneo de Cebu were also part of the qualifying tournament, which was held under the Center for Sports and Physical Fitness of the Iloilo provincial government./PN
