Basketball
Unheralded Basas shines brightest in historic high school all-star game
InterAKTV/Roy Afable
Mapua’s Ace Basas stole the show from more highly-touted players, winning Most Valuable Player honors in the SeaOil High School All-Star Game after leading his White Team to victory over the Blue Team, 87-81.
Basas, an undersized 5-foot-10 forward, tallied 24 points while going up against Xavier star Jeron Teng and San Beda Red Cubs twin towers Gideon Babilonia and Antonio Bonsubre, helping the White Team take a commanding 47-37 lead at halftime.
Teng, a scoring machine who once put up 104 points in a high school game, led the Blue Team’s comeback in the third quarter, wherein he scored 11 points. But Basas combined with his Mapua teammate, Energen Pilipinas team captain J-Jay Alejandro, in the fourth period to put the game away for the White Team.
The all-star game was organized by the National Basketball Training Center, a program which aims to identify and develop basketball talents across the country. Patterned after the McDonald’s High School All-American Game in the United States, more than 70 players from all over the Philippines tried out for spots in the game.
Coaches from the national youth program and various colleges attended the game to look at the high school prospects
Also in the event were Manila-based San Beda’s Daryl Nazareno, Francis Abarcar, and Van Abatayo, La Salle Greenhills’ Thomas Torres and John Richie Villaruz, Ateneo’s Tomas Ramos and Kyle Suarez, De La Salle Zobel’s Gabby Reyes and John Boo, FEU’s John Edric Estacio, Mapua’s Ian Valdez, NU’s Ralph Tansingco and Ralph Napa, Letran’s Mcjour Luib, UST’s Brian Ilarde, UP’s Kim Cinco, John Paul Nieles and John Kevin Baytan of Chiang Kai Shek, and Jason Ligad of St. Jude. The NBTC also flew in Julius Cadavis and Dave Wilson Yun of Sacred Heart School in Cebu, Paul Razen Rubin from Sun Yat Sen High School in Iloilo, Janmer Gabito of St. Joseph School in Bacolod, Paolo Jabines of Pilgrim Christian College in Cagayan de Oro and Randolph Torino of Southern City College in Zamboanga.
Basas, Teng, Boo, Bonsubre, and Cadavis were named to the game’s Mythical Five.
Scores:
Seaoil White All-Stars 87 – Basas 24, Boo 12, Valdez 10, Cadavis 10, Nazareno 8, Torino 5, Alejandro 4, Abarcar 3, Cinco 3, Jabines 2, Ramos 2, Baytan 1, Tansingco 0, Luib 0, Ilarde 0.
Seaoil Blue All-Stars 81 – Teng 22, Rubin, 8, Bonsubre 8, Ligad 7, Abatayo 7, Reyes 6, Torres 6, Suarez 6, Nieles 4, Babilonia 4, Napa 4, Villaruz 2, Gabito 0, Suarez 0, Estacio 0.
Quarters: 16-17, 47-37, 61-60, 87-81.
