SHS-Ateneo de Cebu, UST earn Div 1 slots

Raffy Celis

Slots in either Division 1 or 2 of the 2023 SMART-NBTC National Finals presented by SM were handed out on Wednesday via the Super 24 matches.

The first batches came in the morning session, led by Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, which served as the tournament opener against European side Rome Elite.

The CESAFI HS champions pounded their international opposition to a 99-54 blowout at the Mall of Asia Arena, led by Raffy Celis.

The NBTC All-Star netted eleven points and nine rebounds, demonstrating their dominance with a 54-27 disparity on the glass. He shared to the media after the game, "We just executed and we did what we practiced."

Jelomar Rota also added eleven points for the Magis Eagles, while top-ranked HS player Jared Bahay finished with seven points, three rebounds, five assists, and four steals.

Canadian teams booked their spot in Division 1 as well, with Winnipeg slipping past Team United USA, 86-72 and Toronto routing St. Benilde International School of Calamba, 83-63. Lorence dela Cruz contributed 22 points, eight rebounds, and three assists for Winnipeg, while Gabriel Obusan netted eighteen, nine, and five for Toronto.

The University of Santo Tomas also snapped up a Division 1 berth with a 66-62 win over Team Tarlac, behind Mark Llemit's thirteen points. James Jumao-as provided additional offensive spark alongside the NBTC All-Star with twelve markers himself.

Losing teams in the Super 24 matches are designated to Division 2. Both divisions are comprised of four groups of three teams, with the round robin matches taking place in the next couple of days. Top teams will then move into the semifinals, with the final taking place on Sunday.

Games in the next few days will be streamed online through the Facebook pages of the NBTC, SMART Sports, and Puso Pilipinas.

The 2023 SMART-NBTC National Finals is powered by SMART, SM, Strong Realty and Development Corp., Under Armour, and Molten. It is also sponsored by Tecno, Regent, Rebisco, Jollibee, San Miguel Foundation, Maynilad, Rebel Sports Pilipinas, MNL Kingpin, Gatorade, Swish App, Victory Liner, Jasper Jean, Darlington, Exped, Coach E Basketball School, Lighthouse Events, and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.