Adamson University and National University Nazareth School solidified their hold of 1-2 spots after besting separate foes in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 86 high school boys basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena Saturday.
Vince Reyes had 20 points and eight rebounds while Justine Garcia added 14 points and assists as the Baby Falcons hammered out a 83-70 win over De La Salle-Zobel.
Nigerian Collins Akowe grabbed a record 29 rebounds as the Bullpups carved out an 84-76 win over a hard-fighting UP Integrated School.
Adamson remained undefeated in five matches while NUNS has won two in a row and improved to 4-1 overall.
Coach Mike Fermin praised the Junior Archers for keeping the game close with another solid outing by Kieffer Alas.
“La Salle Zobel played well. Just breaks of the game,” Fermin said.
Akowe, who also led the Bullpups in scoring with 22 points, surpassed the old juniors mark of 27 set by Justine Baltazar in February 2016. He nearly matched the all-comers record of 30 boards by University of the Philippines’ women’s basketball rookie sensation Favour Onoh just last month.
Tom Pillado chipped in 16 points and three assists while Migs Palanca and Gab Nepacena added 13 and 10 points, respectively, for NUNS.
Daryl Valdeavilla scored 30 points, but his efforts went for naught as the Junior Fighting Maroons fell short in their upset bid with a fifth consecutive defeat.
Earlier, University of the East halted University of Santo Tomas’ three-game winning streak with an 80-64 win while defending champion Far Eastern University-Diliman squandered a 15-point lead before escaping with a 70-68 victory over Ateneo.
