CEBU CITY, Philippines — One of the country’s biggest youth-oriented basketball leagues, the Batang Pilipino Basketball League (BPBL), will start its Cebu Province North Leg on Thursday, July 27, 2023, at the Danao Civic Center.
According to the provincial tournament coordinator, Ruben Nelmeda Patotoy Jr., they are fielding a total of 14 teams which will be divided into three age groups.
The teams are coming from the fifth and sixth districts of Cebu with an entry from Mandaue City.
The 18-under category will have the Carmen Niños, Lataban Jhea Sports, Danao City, TJAV Consolacion, and Team Na May Puso Compostela.
Meanwhile, the 16-under category has four competing teams in TJAV Consolacion; Brgy. Estaca, Compostela; The Dream Team (Yati); and Brgy. Cubacub, Mandaue City.
In the 13-under, they are having Danao City; Consolacion Tetrad Leopards; Carmen Niños; Tilhaong-BbAndreas LordVincent; and Brgy. Danglag, Consolacion.
“We’re super excited because the majority of the teams have already prepared for the competition for the past two months, so expect highly-competitive games from start to finish,” said Patotoy Jr.
“I would also like to thank Mayor Thomas Mark “Mix” Durano for supporting BPBL Cebu Province’s fifth and sixth district tournament. Also, we want to inform basketball fans that our tournament will be supervised by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) to ensure the quality of each game,” he added.
The tournament’s format will be a single-round robin with the top two teams competing in the championship. The unbeaten team will automatically gain a twice-to-beat advantage in the championships.
The champion team in each category will compete in the Visayas regional finals scheduled later this year.
Ultimately, those who top the regional finals will represent the Visayas in the national finals, same as last year’s competition, where two Cebu teams shone.
It can be recalled that the Abellana National School (ANS) high school girl’s basketball team ruled the girls 18-under in the national finals, while the Sambag 2 FBA finished as first runners-up in the boys’ division.
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