2009 Philippine Collegiate Championship Update

October 12, 2009

The Regional Championship phase of the 2009 Philippine Collegiate Championship games is in full swing with games held at Davao City and Naga City.

At Davao City, Holy Trinity College Wildcats of General Santos City will represent Mindanao region in the 2009 Philippine Collegiate Championship games. The Wildcats beat the Ateneo de Davao Blue Knights, 96 to 86, to grab the Mindanao regional championship and earn the trip to Cebu City for the Zonal Qualifying games on November 4 to 8.

HTC Wildcats edged out the Southern City College of Zamboanga, 96 to 92, and the Cagayan de Oro Scorpions on the way to the championship recently held at Gaisano Gym, Davao City.

The COC Scorpions forfeited an earlier win by erroneously fielding two players that were not in the line-up for their “mother league” tournament at Cagayan de Oro. Regino “Boy” Cua, the PCCL representative and SBP official in Davao stated that the PCCL rule on the use only of official “mother league” line up had to be strictly enforced.

Joining the Wildcats of Holy Trinity College at the Cebu Zonal games are the San Sebastian College-Recoletos Cavite Baycats( NAASCU champion), Adamson University Falcons (UAAP fifth placer), Arellano University Chiefs (NCAA fifth placer), the Visayas regional champion and the second to fourth placers of CESAFI. The top four teams in the Cebu zonal games will join the “Sweet 16” Finals.

At Naga City, the University of Nueva Caceres Greyhounds successfully defended the South Luzon-Bicol Regional championship of the PLDT-SMART sponsored 2009 Philippine Collegiate Championship games held at Naga Civic Center, Naga City. With the win, UNC Greyhounds advances to the PCCL Zonal Qualifying games with a chance to earn a seat in the “Sweet 16” Finals.

The Greyhounds asserted its supremacy in the region by sweeping the single round regional games involving champion teams from Legaspi City, Tabac, Sorsogon and Quezon. First to fall was Bicol Colleges, 76 to 66, followed by a one-sided win over Tabac champion Amano Cope College, 71 to 40. UNC completed the sweep by outlasting Sorsogon champion, CCDI Wildcats, 69 to 62 and dumping Calayan Educational Foundation of Quezon Cougars, 80 to 60.

UNC Greyhounds will play against the De La Salle Green Archers (2008 National Collegiate Champion and 6th placer in the recently concluded UAAP), St. Francis of Assisi Doves (UCLAAI champion) and the NCAA-South champion in the South Luzon-Metro Manila zonal qualifying games to be held in Naga City on November 12 to 14, 2009.

Early qualifiers to the “Sweet 16” are the Ateneo Blue Eagles, University of the East Red Warriors, Far Eastern University Tamaraws, UST Growling Tigers, San Sebastian College-Recoletos Stags, San Beda Red Lions, JRU Heavy Bombers and the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights.