Roxas City—University of Visayas and Nazareth School of National University were crowned champions in their respective divisions at the SBP-Passerelle Twin Tournament National Finals in Roxas City, Capiz.
Around 120 student-athletes saw action at Dinggoy Roxas Civic Center, where they went head-to-head and competed for the biggest title in youth basketball.
UV toppled defending champion La Salle Greenhills in an epic showdown in the SBP division, while NU made a colossal feat for bagging the championships for the second straight time.
“These young basketeers have shown an excellent display of discipline, confidence and teamwork throughout the games, and that has been the underlining goal for MILO in supporting this year’s SBP-Passerelle Twin Tournament,” said Veronica Cruz, Vice President, Nestlé Philippines-MILO. “We are honored to be a part of a program that provides an avenue for these kids to reach their full potential and acquire character-forming values that they can learn from the sport.”
Backed by leading beverage brand MILO, the National Finals of the SBP-Passerelle Twin Tournament marked the culmination of the regional competition that took place in key cities in Metro Manila, Luzon (Baguio, Pangasinan, Pampanga), Visayas (Iloilo, Roxas, Cebu), and Mindanao (Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga).
UV Ends La Salle’s 4-peat Reign
Young cagers of the University of Visayas passed the La Salle Greenhills test with flying colors, scoring a 62-58 victory. UV Green Lancers went off to a strong start in the first half of the SPB division championship game, and kept its dominance until the finish.
“I told the kids to enjoy and play with all their heart,” said Ronald Bucao, head coach of the UV Green Lancers. “The kids from La Salle are big and tall, and mine are smaller, so I said to them, ‘once you step into the court, your heart should be bigger than the kids playing against you’. Our team had great communication on court. We were able to stick to our gameplan which was a lot of defense,” he added.
Completing the Top 3 of the SBP division was Corpus Christi School, who edged off Berkley School, 59-36.
NU Topples ISBB in Herculean Feat
Nazareth School of National University showed master class in the Passerelle division against International School for Better Beginnings, taking a 25-point victory, 91-66. The NU Bullpups stood its ground as champion two times in a row, while ISBB took home the silver finish for the first time in its SBP-Passerelle history.
On the other hand, Hercor College landed third after relegating Xavier University High School, 67-61.
In recognition of the delegation that demonstrated the highest value of sportsmanship, MILO and BEST Center awarded the Special Sportsmanship Award to Berkley School of Baguio (SBP division) and Xavier University (Passerelle division) during the Fellowship Night and Awarding Ceremony. The Sportsmanship Award honors the delegation of players and parents who showed exemplary conduct both inside and outside the court.
“We applaud all the athletes, coaches and parents for demonstrating sportsmanship throughout the tournament,” said Luigi Pumaren, MILO Sports Executive. “May they continue to strive for excellence and exemplify the values as they go through their sporting journey.”
MILO is a longtime supporter of SBP-Passerelle, the country’s longest-running youth basketball competition spearheaded by BEST Center. For 34 years, MILO and BEST Center have been collaborating through grassroots sports programs such as the SBP-Passerelle, Women’s Volleyball League, Women’s Basketball League and the Summer Sports Clinics, to nurture young athletes to become better individuals in the future.
For more information and updates, log on to the official website (http://www.milo.com.ph) or the MILO Philippines Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/milo.ph). Follow MILO on Twitter (@MiloPH) and Instagram (@MiloPhilippines).