The stars were out late Wednesday night at the SGS Gym as the combatants of the Fil-Chinese Athletic Association Inc. 40-and-up Final Four took center stage.
From two-time Most Valuable Player James Yap and fellow PBA champions Chris Tiu, Joseph Yeo and Christian Luanzon, they competed at the highest level, hoping to lead their respective teams in securing a championship berth.
In the end, it’s Yap’s Hua Siong College of Iloilo and Tiu’s Xavier School set up a blockbuster best-of-three championship encounter after hurdling their respective semifinals opponents.
A two-time Most Valuable Player and a member of the PBA’s 40 Greatest list, Yap flashed his vintage form, finishing with 20 points, including four three-point shots, to inspire his squad to a 96-69 beat down of Good Fellow Pharma.
“After 20 years, yung mga teammates ko sa high school nagkasama-sama kami ulit, kaya excited ako to play,” Yap told Pinoystep.com.
Former Far Eastern University star Rhagnee Sinco finished with a double-double performance of 22 points and 19 rebounds to lead the way for HSCI, which outrebounded Good Fellow Pharma, 65-41.
HSCI head coach Denok Miranda believes Yap was personally motivated in helping his team to win.
“I think players who’ve reached 40 and played at a very high level remains competitive, may gusto pa ring patunayan yang mga yan,” added Miranda, who also won multiple championships before as a player of FEU in the UAAP and Petron/San Miguel in the PBA.
Tiu and Yeo’s squad, Xavier School, walked the tightrope before escaping St. Stephen High School, 82-77, in overtime.
A member of Rain or Shine’s 2016 champion squad, Tiu unloaded 29 points before Yeo started to pick up his game down the stretch and produced 21. Both players knocked in four treys each.
“I think this league has drawn so much interest from the alumni and the different stakeholders. Nakakatuwa and that’s one of the main reasons why napalaro ulit ako ng basketball,” said Tiu, who is now busy managing his family’s enterprise, but keeps his team in shape by playing pick up games.
