By ADRIAN STEWART CO

The Iloilo City elementary boys basketball team took home the crown in the 2024 WVRAA Meet after a dominant 65-42 victory against Negros Occidental at the Bacolod Tay Tung High School Gym in Bacolod City.

Behind the collective effort of the 12 players on the roster, the squad of head coach John Guanco earned the right to represent Western Visayas in the 2024 Palarong Pambansa in Cebu City this July.

The Iloilo City elementary boys basketball team is represented by the St. Robert’s International Academy Panda Rockets and is supported by the Elite Lab of Eugene Chua.

“It was a total team effort by all of the players in the team. From the starters all the way from our role players, they have made their contribution for this victory,” Chua told Watchmen Daily Journal yesterday.

“This is also a special feat for the school since this was St. Robert’s first time to earn a Palarong Pambansa qualification. I think the last time that we represented Region 6 was before the pandemic,” he added.

Bannering the Iloilo City elementary squad are Matt Owen Chua, Mark Santi Coronica, Christian John Demaisip, Sebastian Jorg Jocsing, Den Angelou Lamina, and John Vencent Lelis.

Completing the Panda Rockets-represented roster are Benjamin Madison, Raphael James Mendote, Jhude Rayven Nerio, Johnry James Parcon, Ethan Jay Toledo, and Bjorn Villaluna.

Chua said they are taking on the challenge of defending WVRAA’s elementary boys basketball championship in Palarong Pambansa last year, when the region was represented by the Bacolod Tay Tung High School Thunderbolts.

“It is a challenge that we are willing to face. It is rare for these players to earn the right to represent the Western Visayas region in a prestigious tournament like Palarong Pambansa,” Chua said.

“We will use the next few weeks and months to prepare for the Palaro title defense. We do not want to disappoint the region, so we will do our best to represent Region 6 well,” he added./ASC, WDJ