RAFFY Celis took charge for Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu as Jared Bahay served as facilitator in the Magis Eagles' 99-54 win over Rome Elite Italy on Wednesday in the 2023 Smart-NBTC National Finals presented by SM at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Celis scored 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Magis Eagles dominated the Fil-Italian squad to advance to the Division 1 group stage of the tournament sponsored by Smart, SM, Strong Realty and Development Corp., Under Armour, and Molten.
Subdued Bahay debut
Bahay, ranked as the top high school player by the NBTC, had a quiet night on offense, churning out seven points to go with three rebounds, five assists, and four steals.
University of Santo Tomas, Toronto, and Winnipeg also moved to Division 1 after their victories in the Super 24 round.
Mark Llemit scored 13 points and James Jumao-as had 12 points as the Tiger Cubs defeated Team Tarlac, 66-62.
Lorence Dela Cruz had 22 points, eight rebounds, and three assists as Winnipeg defeated Team United USA, 86-72, while fellow Canadian team Toronto rode on Gabriel Obusan’s 18-point, nine-rebound outing to beat St. Benilde International School, 83-63.
Later in the day, Reinhard Jumamoy had 17 points and 10 rebounds as reigning champion Nazareth School of National University defeated Philippine Christian University-Dasmarinas, 93-68, to also clinch a spot in Division 1.
Jacob Bayla scored 17 points as Fil-Am Nation Select defeated Doc Boleros, 116-60.
John Rex Villanueva had 21 points on seven threes as Batang Tiaong stunned fourth-seed Ateneo, 64-41.
Pinoy Mavs beat Holy Trinity, 83-79; Level Up Team Abro defeated University of Luzon, 111-74; Dubai Patriots won over University of Batangas, 66-65; Mapua downed Royal Star Trading-Don Bosco Dumaguete, 92-85; and Pampanga Delta beat Homegrown Australia, 84-81, to also clinch a spot in Division 1.
The Division 1 and 2 group stage begin on Thursday.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph