16 EDGEDAVAO Sports
VOL. 9 ISSUE 270 • TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017
REBOOT
FIREBRAND. Francis Gabriel Escandor led Ateneo with a gamehigh 21 points. Lean Daval Jr.
Ateneo restarts after infraction, routs DCNHS By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO
P
njb@edgedavao.net
RESSING the refresh button after a ‘false’ start, Ateneo de Davao University got back on the winning track, blasting away Davao City National High School 93-45 on Sunday in the 4th Emilio Escandor Cup High School Basketball Tournament at the Davao City Recreation Center. There was no denying the Blue Knights this time after a costly inadvertence on player eligibility cost them a game penalty. Francis Gabriel Escandor, whose explosive debut was obliterated by that forfeited win over Jose Maria College, struck hard again for the Blue Knights with 21 points. The six-foottwo Ateneo
go-to-guy was almost unstoppable cruising past his defenders on lane incursions and knocking in from the distance. Ion Angeles added 12 for the Blue Knights while shifty playmaker Jethro Taculin chipped in 11. The usually hot Axel Doromal was limited to 6 points while Dariel Manliguez also had the same output. “I am happy to restart again. Everything is behind us now and it is time to recover our bearings,” said Ateneo coach Miggy Solitaria. The Blue Knights jumped to a 17-7 lead after the first quarter but DCNHS, one of only two
public high schools in the 12-team hoopfest, closed the gap to just 5, 27-22 at the turn. The Blue Knights, newly-crowned Davao SM NBTC champions, struck through Escandor, Doromal and Angeles in the third canto to widen the lead to a comfortable 54-30. Ateneo’s defense held o u t in the
FLOATER. Axel Doromal of Ateneo stops and pops against a defender from Davao City National High School. Lean Daval Jr.
third, limiting the Nationals to just 8 points in the entire q u a r t e r. E a r l i er, Ateneo voluntarily admitted committing a rule infraction and forfeited its won game against Jose Maria College during the opening day last February 26 Solitaria informed tournament director Ronel Leuterio that his team has
indeed fielded a player whom they just found to be over the age limit. SBP liaison officer Ronel Leuterio, in an interview, said they have acted on the matter and imposed the necessary penalty on Ateneo. Leuterio, tasked to oversee the tournament by SBP Board of Trustee member Glenn Escandor, said they appreciated the honesty and remorse shown by Ateneo. Only players born 1999 onwards qualify for the tournament sanctioned by the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas (SBP). The rule infraction knocked Ateneo out of the leadership after the first playdate.