By: Henry Liao (72)

Powerhouse Xavier School goes for its third consecutive Juniors Division title in the 40th Metro Manila Tiong Lian Basketball Association tournament when it clashes with St. Jude Catholic School in Game Two of their best-of-three finals rematch at the Chiang Kai Shek gym in Tondo, Manila, on Thursday, Feb. 18.

It won’t be a walk in the park, though, and certainly it won’t be as easy as when the Golden Stallions blew out the Judenites during the 2009 finals with a double-digit winning margin in two straight games.

Last February 15, in the series opener at Xavier School’s Jacinto Tiu Competition Court, the Gold and Blue registered a close 82-77 decision over the Judenites after bucking an early first-quarter ankle sprain to the tournament’s No. 1 scorer, Jeron Teng, and surviving a last-ditch rally by a strong-willed St. Jude Catholic School unit.

Frontliner Kevin Lim took the cudgels for Xavier after Teng went down with an in the early minutes of the first quarter, knocking in nine points to put his team ahead after the first 10-minute quarter, 26-18.

Jose Anton Manuel drilled in 13 markers, including a buzzer-beating third three-pointer, to lift the San Juan-based school to a 48-34 lead at the end of the first half.

Xavier grabbed its biggest lead, 64-43, late in the third quarter, which ended at 67-49.

With Manuel joining Teng on the sidelines with leg cramps, St. Jude went to work in the fourth quarter behind the inside plays of Kim Lo and the outside snipings of Jason Ligad.

Ligad (13, including three triples) and Lo (12) combined for 25 of St. Jude’s 28 points in the payoff period as Xavier struggled mightily to stave off a huge rally by the Mendiola-based school.

The Judenites came within three points twice, 75-72 and 80-77, in the final two minutes before Manuel sealed the deal with a pair of free throws with 1.4 seconds left.

Manuel, who is headed to UP for his college studies, topped Xavier with 21 points (including 3-for-8 from the three-point area), along with five rebounds and nine assists.

Lim, the Freego Player of the Game, contributed 15 points on 7-for-11 field shooting and grabbed seven boards.

Harold Ng and Bryan Tan were the other double-digit scorers for the Xaverians with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Teng, whom first-year head coach Jonathan (Budds) Reyes momentarily field back for two minutes late in the second quarter before former PBA pro Alvin’s son eventually called it quits when the injury became unbearable, had five points (including a three-point bank shot) in just five minutes of service.

Owning a 50-38 rebounding advantage against Xavier, St. Jude got a career-high 34 points in 37 minutes from Ligad, who shot 12-for-26 from the field, including a 7-of-16 clip from the three-point territory.

The University of Santo Tomas-bound Lo collected 28 points, 22 rebounds and two blocks in 38 minutes but was also whistled for 10 errors.  Justin Uy totaled six points and 12 rebounds and Derrence Lam had six markers and four assists for the losing side.

If necessary, Game Three of the best-of-three Juniors finals between Xavier School and St. Jude Catholic School will be played on Saturday, February 20 (6:00 p.m.), at the CKSC gym.