AGUSAN del Sur –Top seed Wengburs Apartelle and Ella Store-San Beda University completed a four-game sweep in the 2024 Mayor Kirk Asis Open Invitational basketball tournament, posting a 76-73 win over Bustamante Construction-University of Visayas at the Lope Asis Memorial gymnasium in Bayugan City.

Fuelled by RC Calimag’s game-long brilliance, the Red Lions wisely kept the Green Lancers at bay enroute to their fourth straight win in the five-team, three-day tournament hosted by Mayor Asis.

San Beda’s championship opponent is ARQ Builders-Adamson University, which outlasted Arianos Construction-Emilio Aguinaldo College, 88-84.

Calimag finished with 17 points with four triples, two rebounds, and two assists for the Yuri Escueta-mentored Red Lions against the Visayas-based Green Lancers.

Kent Salarda topscored for the Green Lancers of coach Gary Cortes with 20 points and four rebounds.

San Beda also won over ARQ Builders-Adamson University, 65-64; Arianos Construction-Emilio Aguinaldo College, 66-53;and Vincare Pharma-University of Perpetual Help, 66-59.

Despite the setback, UV earned the right to dispute third place with EAC, which outsteadied Vincare Pharma-Perpetual Altas, 88-86, on King Gurtiza’s game-winning shot.

Gurtiza fired 34 points, including the game-winner with 1.5 seconds left, to the delight of another the jampacked crowd in the competition held in this northern Agusan del Sur City, noted for its lucrative cut flower industry.

He also had four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Well-known basketball coach-organizer Van Halen Parmis said that more than P800,000 is at stake in the tournament, with the champion pocketing the lion’s share of P300,000.

The runner-up will receive P200,000, the third placer will earn P150,000, the fourth placer will bring home P100,000, and the fifth placer will earn P75,000.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Robert Andaya