The Akari Baby Chargers secured their first victory in the Akari U16 Girls’ Basketball Invitational after overpowering Live Learn Hoops (LLH) Barangay Q.C., 42-26, earlier today at Victoria Sports Tower.
Team captain Cara Tiu led the charge with a game-high 19 points, along with four rebounds and three steals. Solenne Tan added nine points, while Nicole Hughes chipped in six to help Akari break into the win column.
The Baby Chargers set the tone early, leaning on their size advantage to control the paint. Tan stepped up in the second quarter, helping Akari build a 23-11 lead at halftime.
Tiu then caught fire in the third, draining back-to-back triples, followed by a Hughes layup that stretched the gap to 36-18.
Akari never looked back, with Tiu sealing the deal in the fourth quarter with five straight points that shut the door on LLH’s comeback hopes.
Brianna Banquilay led LLH with 10 points, while Clarissa Batoon added nine in the loss.
Box score:
Akari – Tiu 19, Tan 9, Hughes 6, Long 3, Roth 2, Pennycook 2, Nazareno 1, Hutt 0, Rojas 0, Ng 0.
LLH – Banquilay 10, Batoon 9, Cunanan 4, Cancio 2, Reside 1, Maderaje 0, Magos 0, Del Rosario 0, Santos 0.
Quarter scores: 14-7, 23-11, 36-18, 42-26
