Alegria secured a place in the semifinals of the Calderon Cup 2026 21-Under basketball tournament after defeating Badian, 81-75, last Saturday, April 25, at the Alegria Sports Complex.
The victory made Alegria the second team to earn an automatic semifinals berth, joining Dumanjug, which also finished with a 5-1 record.
Alegria appeared headed for an easy win after building a commanding 43-20 lead in the second quarter with strong team play on offense. However, Badian fought back in the second half by employing an aggressive trapping defense that forced several turnovers.
Badian then mounted a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to just seven points, 69-62, putting pressure on the home team. Alegria remained composed in the final minutes and made crucial free throws to halt Badian's comeback attempt.
Vil March Amacna led Alegria with 21 points and nine rebounds and was named Best Player of the Game. Jaymar Cometa contributed 14 points and five rebounds. For Badian, James Ivan Alviso scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Clark Aron Bulahan added 21 points.
Earlier in the day, Malabuyoc defeated Ginatilan, 95-86, creating a tie with Alegria at 5-1 in Bracket B. However, Alegria won the tiebreaker with six points compared to four for Malabuyoc to claim the semifinal spot. Malabuyoc will now play Ronda in the quarterfinals.
Ginatilan also advanced after beating Badian in the points system, despite both teams ending with 1-5 records. Ginatilan will face Moalboal in the crossover quarterfinals.
The tournament continues on Tuesday, April 28, at the Malabuyoc Sports Complex, where the last two semifinal spots will be decided.
