Duplicating its winning performance, St. Robert’s International Academy (SRIA) Panda Rockets ruled the Iloilo Schools Development Basketball U17 Tournament after beating Hua Siong College of Iloilo Red Phoenix, 80-76 at the Iloilo Sports Complex Gym.
The trio of Erlance Pedrita, Karl Alfred Ferrer and John Lyod Martines led the assault for the Panda Rockets, which wrapped up the month-long tournament undefeated.
The Panda Rockets was mentored by head coach John Guanco with Jureemar Palma Loredo as his assistant coach and Eugene Chua as the team manager.
It was scintillating finals clash with both teams hungry for the title. But with steady ball rotations and good shooting, SRIA eked out the Red Phoenix.
After his impressive games, Pedrita was later named as the tournament Most Valuable Player and was later named as part of the Mythical 12 team along with fellow Panda Rockets’ Ferrer and Martines.
To recall, the Panda Rockets has a tough journey going to the championship title. They outpowered Sun Yat Sen High School-A in the semis, while the Red Phoenix ousted long-time rival Santa Clarita International School Primes, which later bagged the bronze trophy.
Comprising the winning team were Jp Gaspillo, Kyle Sardon, Blake Mahabague, Gian Carlo Gamala, Dirk Adorable, Michsan Rhaey Oñate, Ryan John Ticar, Jose Emmanuel Pet, Paul Jovan Santome, Prince Jurisprudencia, Jhed Suria, Rex Demafeliz, Rengie Ecarma, Ej Secorata and Brian Grijaldo.IMT Sports
