ATHLETICS

XAVIER Wins Big in Its Opening Game
Henry Liao (XS'72)

Posted Monday, 09-Jan-2006 1:11 PM
     

    Xavier's campaign to regain the championship it last won three years ago got off to a rousing start in this year's Juniors Division of the Tiong Lian Basketball Tournament at the Uno High School Gym last Jan. 7, with an impressive 97-82 shellacking of tall but inexperienced Chiang
Kai Shek squad under new coach Sonny Co.
   

    In the first game of the opening doubleheader, Uno gave comebacking
Grace Christian a rude welcome with an easy double-digit victory.

        Xavier's Woodward Co--already considered by many this early in the season to be an MVP candidate--scored 20 of his game-high 26 points in the first half, which ended 42-37 in Xavier's favor.  Do-it-all Co also was in double digits in rebounds.
   
        He is apparently bound for UP in June (with ex-UAAP UP Maroons coach Lito Vegara currently among the Xavier assistant coaches of head coach Patrick Aquino, an assistant coach in the PBL with Granny Goose).

       Fellow high school senior Charles Tiu, son of Jerry Tiu ('73) exploded with 13 of his 15 markers in the breakaway third quarter as Xavier pulled away in outscoring its opponent 38-26 during this 10-minute period.

      Another pillar of strength for Xavier was lanky but cat-quick Constantine Ong, who wooed the crowd with his sharp passing and kamikaze drives.  Ong also has the potential of making it to a major college team. Guard Wesley Contreras again led the hustle department
and secured a number of three-point plays.

     Except in the early minutes of the first quarter when there were several lead changes, the experienced and no-nonsense Stallions were never really in trouble, finishing the first 10 minutes with a two-point edge.

      Playing with a lot of intensity and an unforgiving fullcourt trap defense throughout, Xavier banked on the leadership of Co in the second quarter as the school took a five-point edge at halftime.
   
     With Co on the bench in the third quarter, Tiu took charge on both ends of the floor as Xavier finished the quarter with a commanding 80-63 lead.

     There was never any doubt who would win the game, and only the final score remained to be determined. In the fourth and final 10 minutes, with Xavier leading by as much as 22 pts., 89-67 and 95-73, Coach Pat Aquino emptied his bench and sent in his second- and third-stringers.

     In fact, some of the spectators purposely stayed on to see if Xavier would be able to reach the century mark. Perhaps the only disappointment for the night for Xavier was that the team fell short by 3 pts.
 
     Xavier's next game in the single round-robin elimination phase of the seven-team competitions will be on Friday Jan. 13 ( 5:30 p.m. ) against Hope Christian. Thereafter, it will be Xavier against host and two-time defending champion St. Stephen's High School.

     St. Jude Catholic School, the other school in the league, also has an MVP candidate in Carl Cua, who reportedly can play all five positions!  He bears watching.

     St. Stephen's and Xavier figured in the best-of-three finals the past two seasons, with St. Stephen's emerging victorious both times in decisive third games.

     Before this, Xavier scored a three-peat (200l to 2003) but failed in its bid to annex an unprecedented fourth consecutive title in 2004.  Only Chiang Kai Shek (twice) and Xavier have achieved a three-peat.  St. Stephen's, despite a weakened lineup, looks to join
the elite group this year.

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