St. Robert's International Academy of Iloilo defied the odds, eliminating powerhouse National University-Nazareth School (NUNS) to guarantee a new champion in the 2025 Palarong Pambansa secondary boys’ basketball division.
Down goes the defending champion.
St. Robert's International Academy of Iloilo of Western Visayas (Region VI) delivered the biggest stunner of the 2025 Palarong Pambansa so far, ousting erstwhile defending champion NU Nazareth School (NCR), 76–67, in the secondary boys’ 5-on-5 basketball quarterfinals on Thursday, May 29.
Western Visayas overcame a six-point half-time deficit after outsourcing NCR, 19-9, in the third frame to take a slim 56-52 lead entering the fourth.
From that point on, St. Robert kept NUNS at bay en route to completing the monumental upset inside the Ilocos Norte Centennial Arena.
With the massive stunner, Western Visayas punched its ticket to the knockout semifinals, joining Ateneo de Davao of Region XI and the Pampanga Delta-backed Central Luzon (Region III) squad.
They now await the winner of the fourth and last quarterfinal match between CALABARZON (Region IV-A) and SOCCSKSARGEN (Region XII) later at 3:30 p.m.
NUNS, which was undefeated in the elimination round with a 3–0 record, was aiming for back-to-back titles after reclaiming the gold in the 2024 edition held in Cebu.
However, their championship aspirations were dashed by a determined St. Robert's IC squad, which finished the group stage with a 3–1 record in Group C.
This marked the second time in the last three editions that NCR has fallen short of the gold.
In 2023, they settled for silver after a 77–73 loss to the Jared Bahay-led Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu of Region VII in Marikina. They rebounded last year in Cebu by reclaiming the crown, defeating Region III’s St. Augustine Pampanga, 86–71.