Arellano University kept its winning momentum while Emilio Aguinaldo College-Immaculate Conception Academy finally broke through, as both teams pulled off contrasting victories in the NCAA Season 101 Juniors Basketball Tournament, Tuesday at the Filoil Centre in San Juan.
The Braves nearly saw their double-digit cushion vanish but maintained their composure down the stretch to turn back the Lyceum-Cavite Junior Pirates, 77–71, and secure their third straight win to stay atop Group A with a 3–1 record.
Meanwhile, over in Group B, the Brigadiers finally entered the win column after three frustrating outings, outlasting the San Beda-Rizal Red Cubs in a nail-biting 72–69 triumph.
Ray Ladica once again spearheaded the charge for the Braves, finishing with 15 points to lead the balanced effort.
Fresh off his game-winning heroics against defending champion Perpetual Help last Saturday, Ladica ignited Arellano’s breakaway in the third quarter with a driving layup that gave them their largest lead at 65–44.
Lyceum, however, refused to go away quietly.
Ken Bo calmly sank two free throws before setting up Steven Creus for a basket that trimmed the deficit to just six, 77–71, with under a minute left.
But the Junior Pirates ran out of time as Arellano clamped down defensively to preserve the victory and cap off its group stage campaign with momentum heading into crossover play.
Sean Franco provided steady support with 15 points, eight rebounds, two steals, and two blocks, while Axel Mendoza and Laurence Pillas chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively.
On the other hand, Kelly Coronel and Clint Bonus delivered in the clutch for the Brigadiers, who showed grit and poise in crunch time to improve to 1–3.
Coronel buried a crucial jumper to put EAC ahead, 68–65, before calmly setting up Bonus for a cold-blooded triple that extended their lead to 71–67 in the final minute.
The Red Cubs continued to push, with Andrei Ugaddan sinking two free throws to make it a one-point game, 71–70, but John Dela Cruz split his charities to seal EAC’s first win of the season.
Coronel anchored the Brigadiers’ balanced effort with 15 points, six rebounds, two blocks, an assist, and a steal, while Bonus filled the stat sheet with 10 points, six boards, four assists, four steals, and a block.
Creus stood tall in the losing cause with a double-double of 25 points and 12 rebounds for Lyceum, which slipped to 2–2, while Lamarcus Pelayo and Khian Panerio added 14 and 10 markers.
Adiam Larosa led San Beda with 16 points, four rebounds, and three steals, but his efforts went for naught as the Red Cubs also fell to 1–3.
