Knights shine in Cheng Hoo Cup

Gardner College came up with a dominant performance to sweep its way to the U25 title of the Cheng Hoo Cup International basketball tournament in Cirebon, Indonesia recently.

The Knights rolled past teams from the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia with an average winning margin of 19.2 points to secure the title.

With Khen Palaroan at the firing end, the Diliman-based dribblers opened their campaign with a convincing 77-53 win over UCSI Malaysia before escaping with a 56-55 win over UKSW Salatiga.

Then, they outlasted home team GMC Cirebon, 96-94 before crushing Pelatda DKI Jakarta, 92-59, to advance to the gold medal match.

In the final, Michael Romero stepped up, helping the Knights, who were bankrolled by Quezon City Representative Juan Carlos Atayde, build a 51-41 win midway through the third quarter en route to posting a thrilling 79-73 win over the Spartan Renon Bali to secure the title.