FD ALUMNI HOOPS POWERS THROUGH PLAYOFFS

By Jay Leon Guerrero

It’s playoff time!

The 2026 Father Duenas Memorial School Alumni tournament is in full throttle with single-elimination games happening all week!

The class of 2013 survived an upset from the class of 2022 but managed to get things together in the second half to win 48-34.

2022 went toe-to-toe with the former champion, and the game was tied 16-16 at halftime in a physical first half. Russell Maratita put 2022 ahead 19-18, and a sense of panic transpired within the elder 2013 squad.

Michael Sakazaki took over the game for 2013, using his size to score while abandoning the outside shot. Sakazaki went on a personal 7-0 run, and the class of 2013 went up by double digits to advance to the next round.

Sakazaki scored a game-high 16 points, scoring 14 in the second half. Sakazaki’s teammate, John Baza, had 11 for 2013. Maratita and Nathan Toves each scored eight points for 2022.

2016 vs 2021

The host class, 2016, took the court with a mission to win the tournament in their host year. But the younger class capitalized on missed shots by 2016 to take a 55-40 victory.

Matt Santos, an IIAAG Basketball MVP in his senior year, scored a game-high 18 points for 2021. The class of 2021 led 27-12 at halftime and never looked back.

Michael Tenorio was a beast in the paint for 2021, scoring 15 points. Bryton Cepeda and Frankie Tenorio scored 11 points each for 2016.

CHAMPIONSHIP NIGHT

Playoff action sprints through the week and culminates on championship night – July 29^th at The Jungle for all three divisions: Maroon, Gold and Platinum.

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