The Filipino Canadian Basketball League Yukon (FCBLY) continued their pre-season tournament on Saturday at F.H. Collins High School.

The tourney featured two youth games which started at 3 p.m. followed by two adult games that started at 6 p.m.

The four youth teams consisted of 13 to 15 year-olds and were determined in a draft.

In the first youth game, Pizza Hut’s coach Sean McCarron’s undermanned squad battled the Air North Jets, who had twice as many players and a decided height advantage. McCarron said it was important for the boys to be able play in a game.

“The Filipino league for these young guys is just a great opportunity to have these guys get out and play. With COVID last year, we were limited in game opportunities … to be able to match up and get on the floor and work on the skills they’re trying to learn … is a lot of fun to see, and especially considering they’re only grade 8, 9, 10. They still have a couple years to use these little games that don’t really mean a whole lot, unless you can learn from them and improve on some of the things you need to learn.”

McCarron conceded his squad was a little over-matched.

“For our squad, we only had the one sub, which was a little bit tough, missin’ a few of our big guys too, but I know them really well … I’m coaching the F.H. Junior team, but I’m also coaching the Vanier Senior team, so I think every kid that played today, except for one or two, at some point I will coach in the next few years, so I get a chance to also see where we can improve.”

McCarron’s son Chris played point guard for the Hut team.

“Having a chance to coach my son as well is kind of fun… it was good. They competed hard, the energy was good, and there’s a lot of talent in this town, and it’s nice to kind of see them put it out there for even a little crowd.”

In the end, the Pizza Hut team held on for a tight 47-42 victory over the Air North Jets.

“The goal going in was to work hard and learn from it, but we also played a zone, a one-two-two, which I knew with the lower numbers I was gonna have, that we’re gonna get tired, so running around playing man-to-man wasn’t going to work, and they were beat at the end, were just hanging on, but I also know that young guys like this, they don’t – playing against a decent zone, which I think we had, you have to have a higher IQ than necessarily skill, so playing a one-two-two at this age can be quite advantageous if they don’t have a strategy to beat it,” related McCarron.

John Musiine led the scoring for Pizza Hut with a game-high 23 points. Chris McCarron added 11 points.

Miguel Portea netted 11 points for the Jets, with Isiah Cabiso chipping in with 10 points.

McCarron thinks there’s a lot of potential for his young charges.

“I think a number of our boys, if they work a little harder, and really focus on the things that they need to work on, instead of the things that are comfortable, they can be really good … use this game not just as a reinforcement of the things you do well, or that you like to do, the difference between good and great is that you will focus on the things that you need to work on to become an all-around better player.”

In the second game, All Pro Yukon Restoration outscored MPM 66 to 54 in a display of skill and shot-making.

All-Pro were led by Brit Pagobo’s 29 points, with Jeff Rumbaoa adding 14. Pier Deleon with 16, Enrique Miral with 15, and Carlos Magsucang led the way for MPM.

In the first of a best-of-three Over-35 series final, the Wolfpack Basketball team outscored the Canadian Tire team 110-80. The scoring leader for the Wolfpack was Rich Thompson with 28 points, followed by Kevin Octavio with 23 points and Sean McCarron with 18.

Bon Bon Poscesion poured in a game-high 38 for Canadian Tire, with Jezeth Matrioano chipping in 14 points.

In a first of a best-of-three Under-35 division series final, Tri Omni Property Management outlasted Cornerstone Construction 90-82.

Christian Miral and Ej New led the way for Tri Omni with 21 points, followed by Chad Williams with 18, Andrew Craigen with 15 points. Jop Aying added 10 for Tri Omni.

Bryan Hermosa led Cornerstone with a game-high 25 points, Ralph Hermosa and Kevin Octavio each netted 17 points, and Soliel Stimson chipped in 14 points.

Joesel Rumbaoa is on the board of directors for Basketball Yukon and the FCBLY board. He said that the league will play the tournament over the next three weeks, and then begin it’s 15th season.

“The competition is getting tougher … every year, because a lot of players from the Philippines are coming in, and also opened this tournament for the players of men’s league, most of them are playing in a men’s league … so it’s getting tougher and tougher,” said Rumbaoa.

The Under-35 division has nine to ten teams, the Over-35 division has five teams, and the grade 8 to 10 youth division consists of the four teams that played Saturday.

The FCBLY plays Saturdays at F.H. Collins High School, and Fridays and some Sundays at Paul-Émile Mercier Secondary School during the regular season.