MANILA – Rhagnee Sinco picked up his offense when it mattered the most as the Hua Siong College of Iloilo-Lamtex Pipes scored an 89-85 Game 3 victory over Xavier School-Acrocity x Zhoosh to rule the Fil-Chi Athletic Association Inc. (FCAAI) 40s Division Finals at the Playtime FilOil Center in San Juan.
With the score tied a 66-all midway through the fourth quarter, Sinco broke the deadlock with a triple, followed by a layup by James Yap, five straight points from Ken Bono, and a basket from Richlien Tenezo for a 78-66 lead.
Hua Siong maintained a double-digit spread at 82-71 on baskets from Yap and Sinco, but Xavier leaned on three-point conversions from Chris Tiu and Joseph Yeo to threaten to within 82-84 with over a minute left.
However, Hua Siong answered with a three-pointer from Eduardo Allado and a layup from Sinco for a 89-82 edge with under a minute left before Yeo drained another triple to cut the deficit to four.
Sinco, a former standout of the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, finished with 26 points, including two three-pointers, to go with three rebounds and two assists as Hua Siong wrapped up the title series at 2-1.
Bono, who was later named as Finals MVP, tallied 21 points and 13 rebounds, Yap contributed 19 points and 10 rebound, while Allado chipped in 11 markers in the win.
Yeo top-scored for Xavier University with 38 points, including eight three-point conversions, while Tiu added 16 markers in the defeat./PN
BOX SCORE
HSCI – LAMTEX PIPES 89 – Sinco 26, Bono 21, Yap 19, Allado 11, Canuday 8, Teneso 4, Villegas 0, Barcellano 0, Rizaga 0.
AAXS – ACROCITY X ZHOOSH 85 – Yeo 38, Tiu 16, P. Chua 8, Liao 6, Sioco 6, J. Chua 4, Go 4, Tan 3, Ng 0, Noel 0, Chu 0, Syiaco 0.
Quarterscores: 16-19, 35-34, 59-57, 89-85.
