St. Robert’s bags ILOPRISAA HS boys’ hoops three-peat

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Dominance personified.

And still the kings of the Iloilo Private Schools Athletic Association high school boys’ basketball division are the St. Robert’s International Academy Panda Rockets.

It was a different year but the same result as the talented young hoopers from St. Robert’s cemented their status as the best high school basketball program with a three-peat, manhandling the University of San Agustin, 89-59, in Game 2 of the finals at the San Agustin Gym in Iloilo City on Aug. 29, 2026.

Fresh off a lopsided victory that gave them a commanding 1-0 series lead, St. Robert’s maintained its composure to avoid a deciding Game 3, outplaying the Golden Eagles on both ends of their home court.

However, it wasn’t the ideal start that St. Robert’s head coach John Guanco envisioned for his squad, as the pumped-up Golden Eagles raced to a 7-2 advantage.

St. Robert’s went nearly three minutes without scoring, but once it picked up its defensive tenacity and ball movement, the defending champion quickly clawed its way back from the early deficit.

The turnaround came thanks to the sweet shooting of Finals MVP Mark Sherwin Orendez, who buried three much-needed 3-pointers to help St. Robert’s end the opening quarter with a 22-18 lead.

When St. Robert’s badly needed someone to step up and halt the bleeding, it was Orendez who answered the call, drilling trey after trey to put the Panda Rockets back in the driver’s seat.

Orendez continued to inflict damage in the second quarter, beating the buzzer with an off-the-curl play that freed him in the right corner.

Despite some defensive adjustments from San Agustin at the start of the second half, St. Robert’s proved to be the superior team, as its size in the interior forced the Golden Eagles to commit numerous fouls.

With Orendez, Nikey Gadong, Handrex Sederio and Ace Maestral taking turns scoring, the game quickly got out of hand as St. Robert’s extended its advantage to 54-31 heading into the fourth quarter.

There was nothing the Golden Eagles could do as the consistent and well-oiled St. Robert’s machine continued to wreak havoc on both ends of the floor, forcing San Agustin head coach Jay Pisuena to empty his bench in the final three minutes of the ballgame.

Another year, another undefeated ILOPRISAA run capped by a crown.

Who can stop the rolling St. Robert’s Panda Rockets?