John Morales of Batang Tiaong during their game against the Magis Eagles in the NBTC National Finals. | Screen grab from NBTC’s live stream
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) Magis Eagles dropped to division 2 of the National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) National Finals after absorbing their back-to-back defeat on Tuesday morning, March 19.
The Magis Eagles, one of the favorites of the NBTC National Finals, lost to Batang Tiaong, 57-61, during their game at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
On Monday, the Magis Eagles opened their seeding round campaign with a loss to the 1San Rafael-Bulacan, 64-76.
READ: Magis Eagles lose to 1San Rafael in NBTC natl. finals seeding round opener
With another defeat, the Magis Eagles who made it to the semifinals round last year, were relegated to Division 2.
Relegated to Division 2
Despite the setback, the Magis Eagles still have the chance to redeem themselves in Division 2’s round 16, which kicks off tomorrow.
Jelo Mar Rota, NBTC’s Top 12 player, topscored the Magis Eagles with his double-double game. He scored 18 points with 12 rebounds.
READ: Bahay is NBTC’s back-to-back No. 1 HS cager
Jared Bahay finished with 13 points, seven boards, seven assists, and three steals.
RJ Dacalos added 11 points with eight rebounds in their losing efforts.
Double-double performance
John Morales led Batang Tiaong, the NBTC NCR leg champs, with a game-high double-double performance.
He scored 22 points with 12 rebounds, one steal, and one block in their huge win. Allan Aguila scored 12 points to aid Morales.
READ: Magis Eagles exit NBTC natl. finals vs. NU-Nazareth Bullpups in grueling 2 OT semifinals loss
Batang Tiaong didn’t give the Magis Eagles an inch after leading throughout the game. They led as many as 12 points, 45-33, in the second half.
The Magis Eagles tried to mount a comeback by cutting the lead to just four, 53-57, from the efforts of Bahay and Rota, but they eventually fell short.