Both the boys and girls teams from the NU-Nazareth School will be the Philippines representative to the NBA Rising Stars Invitational next month.
NU-Nazareth School (NUNS) avenged their UAAP high school losses in both the boys and girls division as they ruled the NBA Rising Stars Invitational Philippine Qualifiers, earning the right to represent the Philippines in a battle of Asian high school powerhouses in Singapore.
In the Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, the NUNS Lady Bullpups opened the action with a dominant victory over La Salle College Antipolo, 107-49, to cap their lopsided campaign in the high school tournament.
After the Voyagers tied the match at 9-all in the first quarter, the NUNS unleashed a 22-0 run that blew the game wide open.
Center Zuzzane Singson nabbed the MVP citation after finishing with 16 points, and 18 rebounds in the finale.
Head coach Camilla Escoto spoke highly about Singson, who at 14, had only been playing organized basketball for less than a year.
“Grabe yung pinagdaanan niya this past months. Nagkasakit, nagka-injury, nagka-Dengue pa. So, I’m just very proud of her. Deserve niya to, kung nasaan siya ngayong araw. So talagang tuwang tuwa kami, lalo na siya,” Escoto said.
Over in the boys’ division, the NUNS exacted revenge on the UST Tiger Cubs in a rematch of their UAAP Jrs. Finals as they walloped their foes, 101-75. Albeit made up of a significantly different roster, the Bullpups felt good about redeeming themselves.
Boys MVP Shaun Lucido ended up with 25 points, four rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
Meanwhile, they flaunted new foreign student-athlete Moussa Diakite with a double-double of 14 points and 12 boards.
“We’re very happy kasi yun nga, yung finals namin ng UAAP, medyo hindi nagfavor samin. Pero, sabi ko sakanila, [this is] something to look forward to. So next tournaments, let’s get better, we compete, and let’s see the results,” said NUNS Bullpups head coach Kevin de Castro.
After ruling the Finals, which was also graced by San Antonio Spurs player Jeremy Sochan, both teams will be flying to Singapore in late June to represent the Philippines in the NBA Rising Stars Invitational which will feature boys’ and girls’ teams from 11 countries and territories across Asia-Pacific.