Joseph Yeo and Chris Tiu rekindled their legendary partnership as Xavier School edged the James Yap-led Hua Siong College-Iloilo, 75-72, in Game 1 of the 40 Years Division finals of the Fil-Chinese Athletic Association Inc. on Friday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

Though no longer as quick or explosive as they were in their prime, the Powersox-AcroCity-backed Xavier stars remained deadly from beyond the arc, delivering clutch baskets down the stretch to topple the defending champions in the opener of their best-of-three title series before a sizable crowd.

The Golden Stallions now stand one win away from the championship and a measure of revenge after falling to Hua Siong in last year’s finals. They can seal the title with another victory on Monday.

Yeo turned back the clock with a game-high 30 points, highlighted by four three-pointers, to outduel fellow PBA great James Yap. He scored Xavier’s final seven points, including a crucial triple that stretched the lead to 71-66 late in the contest.

Yap answered with 18 points, knocking down two booming three-pointers, but his efforts were not enough as the Lamtex Pipes-backed Hua Siong absorbed its first loss after sweeping all eight elimination-round games. Hua Siong had also cruised past GT Radial-Grace Christian College, 108-74, in the semifinals.

Tiu also played a key role in the victory, finishing with 17 points while sinking two of Xavier’s 13 three-pointers. Hua Siong, meanwhile, connected on nine triples.

In the battle for third place, Grace Christian College rolled past SCAG-St. Stephen’s, 60-40, behind Allan Anson Tan’s 20-point performance to finish third in the nine-team tournament.

With Yap struggling to find his rhythm late, Ken Bono tried to keep Hua Siong within striking distance, but Xavier would not be denied.

The league is backed by Smart Sports, Tanduay Athletics, Genius Hardware, Ultraforce Tires, Cellboy, PGFlex Linoleum, Boysen, Lamtex Pipes, Jiang Nan, Hangry Pares, Powerhouse Tools, L.F. Fireworks, BYD Valenzuela, BAIC, Jetour, Yong Kee Roasting House, 1118 Autospa, and TCL.

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Ramon Cao asserted himself in the endgame to help Macau complete a 132-126 comeback win over Titan Ultra to break through in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup, Saturday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

The reliable big man finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds as he basically took it upon himself to bring the Giant Risers home after seeing themselves staring at a 120-119 deficit with 1:52 remaining.

He scored seven straight to give themselves the 126-120 lead with 31.1 seconds left, which were enough to put them ahead permanently while the opposition could only try to answer back but to no avail

De’Vondre Perry helped him out to keep their foes at bay before Cao applied the final blow with a cleanup from point-blank as the former Bay Area Dragons forward produced 11 of Macau’s last 13 points of the bout.

With this, the guest team improved to 1-4 while sending Titan crashing back to earth after beating TNT previously.

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FIBA U18 AfroBasket Zone 5 Qualifiers

Friday Results

• Uganda 52-40 South Sudan
• Egypt 126-32 Tanzania

Saturday Fixtures

• Kenya Vs Uganda – 3:30 p
• Tanzania Vs Rwanda – 8:30 pm

The 2026 FIBA U18 AfroBasket Zone 5 Qualifiers got underway on Friday in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

Two tickets to Côte d’Ivoire, the hosts of the final tournament from August 5 to 16, are up for grabs.

Uganda’s Junior Silverbacks faced off with the Young Bright Stars of South Sudan in the Group B opener at Cairo Stadium Indoor Hall 2.

Despite being shorthanded, the Junior Silverbacks claimed a 52-40 win but needed a strong defensive effort down the stretch to hold off a determined South Sudan that had chipped away at a double-digit third-quarter deficit to just 2 points (42-40) with just under four minutes to play in the final period.

South Sudan controlled the early stages of the game, scoring six unanswered points and forcing Uganda into a timeout.

The message head coach Daniel “Najja” Jjuuko delivered to the Junior Silverbacks elicited a perfect response from the youngsters as they went on a 10-0 scoring run and never looked back.

While combo guard Shane Kwizera shone with a 19-point, 10-rebound, and 12-steal triple-double, Pierre Laurent Rwuhiriro’s effort on the defensive end soared. The center finished with 8 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks, but his contribution was beyond what reflects in the stat sheet.

Uganda forced South Sudan into committing 39 turnovers despite getting outrebounded 55-49.

Bior Mayen netted 15 points to lead the scoring for South Sudan, and Deng Langar had a 10-point and 14-rebound double-double.

Next Up

Group action continues today (Saturday, July 25) as Uganda takes on Kenya at 3:30 p.m. A win for the Junior Silverbacks guarantees them a place in the semifinals, in which they will face the runner-up from Group A, which has Egypt, Rwanda and Tanzania.

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