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    This player scored 120 points in a league game. Where is he now?

    This distinction doesn't belong to a Jeron Teng or any player you might know but to little-known Clark Quijano
    Oct 4, 2020

    JERON Teng is always top of mind whenever the highest-scoring games in Philippine basketball come up in discussions.

    The Alaska slasher, then 16 years of age and playing for Xavier School, famously notched 104 points for the Golden Stallions in a high school game back in 2011.

    That game made the headlines, one because of Teng's lineage being the son of former PBA player Alvin Teng, and also because seeing players score in triple digits is a rare occurrence, not just in the country but in the whole world.

    In fact, that feat was only accomplished twice in the history of the PBA, both times by imports: Ginebra's Michael Hackett poured in 103 points in 1985 and Swift's Tony Harris eclipsed that mark with 105 points in 1992.

    But those performances, believe it or not, weren't the highest points scored by any Filipino in an organized tournament.

    That honor belongs to Clark Quijano of AMA University High School.

    Quijano, then only 16 years old, exploded for 120 points as he steered the Junior Titans to a 166-85 domination of Our Lady of Grace Christian Academy in the 7th Mariano Bondoc Cup back in October 2013.

    Mark Herrera, the coach of the AMA high school team, still vividly remembers that historic game.

    "Hindi namin iniisip yung record," he said. "Pero nung tumaas na sa 30 points yung naiscore ni Clark, doon ko naisip na baka kaya pa niyang taasan."

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    Quijano, his former coach recalled, was so hot he already scored 59 points in the first quarter alone.

    "Doon ko naalala noong naka-score si Jeron Teng. So sabi ko kay Clark, subukan natin i-break yung record," reminisced Herrera.

    It really was one of those games for Quijano when the ring looked like a massive drum for him, sinking shots from his drives to his three-pointers with so much ease and regularity.

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    He was also lucky that his teammates went along for the ride, feeding him the leather in every possession. "Pati yung teammates niya, siya lagi ang pinapasahan. Sinuportahan siya ng teammates niya," Herrera recalled.

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    By halftime, Quijano already got through the century mark as he scored 41 in that second frame to get to 100.

    Impressive really, but it hardly surprised Herrera knowing the quality of player Quijano was.

    "Parati siyang MVP sa mga liga sa high school. Kaya nung umalis ako sa juniors team ng UE, kasama ko siya sa AMA," he said.

    Seeing that high-scoring performance, the opposition doubled down on Quijano on defense, making life hard for him in the second half.

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    "Yung kalaban namin, sobra na rin yung naging depensa sa kanya. Parang alam nila na may record kami na gustong lagpasan kaya pagdating ng second half, hirap na hirap na rin si Clark," said Herrera.

    Fortunately, they did snare the record, surpassing Teng's mark as Quijano mustered 20 points in the last two periods.

    "Pagkatapos ng laro, pagod na pagod talaga si Clark," Herrera said.

    Quijano continued to suit up for Herrera's teams in AMA and even played for the Titans in the 2018 PBA D-League Aspirants' Cup.

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      Unfortunately, the Nueva Ecija-born dribbler no longer pursued the sport as he opted to enter the military. The last Herrera heard about his former stud was that he was looking to make it to the Presidential Security Group.

      Still, Quijano's 120-point performance has stood the test of time, and there are no signs that the mark will be eclipsed anytime soon.

      Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph

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