The big win made the Titans the only undefeated team at the end of the tournament's elimination round after three games, while the previously unbeaten Kings dropped to 2-1.
With their undefeated record, the Titans, the Cagayan de Oro PCCL champion, will face the Kings, the Davao City PCCL champion, for the Mindanao finals at the same venue at 5:30 p.m. on April 30.
To avoid being scouted, both teams opted to rest their star players, forwards Chris Catarong of the Kings, Earn Laniton, and Evan Agbong of the Titans.
In the first quarter, the taller and more experienced Kings took the early lead at 16-10.
The Titans made a mini-run in the second quarter and cut the deficit to one at the half, 28-27.
In the third quarter, the Kings made a run and expanded their lead to nine, entering the fourth quarter at 49-40.
Playing with pride and determination, the smaller Titans made a strong run in the fourth and won by two points.
In the second game, the Holy Cross of Davao College Crusaders, the PCCL Davao second placer, finally won a game after three tries by beating the visiting Holy Trinity College Wildcats of General Santos City 90-75.
High-flying shooter Jolex Pandili had a monster game; he scored multiple triples and crucial points in their lopsided win.
In the penultimate game of the day, the Rizal Memorial College Bulldogs ended their stint in the tournament with two wins and one defeat after demolishing the visiting Southern City College of Zamboanga City 90-77.
Streak shooter Garidel Lais took charge of scoring for the Bulldogs in their morale-boosting win.
SCC of Zamboanga City ended the tournament with four defeats without a win.
The tournament is sponsored by the Royal Mandaya Hotel and Genesis 88 Construction. (Romeo Braceros Jr.)
Photo: Escandor Cup FB page
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