Rommel Calahat was the hero for the San Sebastian Stags in their huge 73-71 come-from-behind win over the Lyceum Pirates in the NCAA Season 95 Seniors Basketball Tournament, Tuesday at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
Tied at 71-all with 5.2 seconds left, Allyn Bulanadi passed an inbound to Rommel Calahat. The Stags then caught Mike Nzeusseu sleeping for the go-ahead basket.
“‘Yung sa akin, ‘yung attention nila na kay RK [Ilagan] at Capo [Alvin Capobres]. Nag-eye-to-eye contact kami na sinasabi ko na gawan niya ng paraan. Nagkataon na napasok niya,” recalled Bulanadi.
“‘Yung pasa na ‘yun, hindi ko inaasahan ‘yun,” admitted Calahat.
On the other hand, Calahat managed to clog the passing lane, stealing the ball from Reymar Caduyac to seal the win.
Calahat had seven points, eight rebounds, an assists, and a steal for San Sebastian.
It was an all-important win for the Golden Stags, since they raised their slate to 9-6 — two full games ahead of Benilde and Mapua for the fourth spot.
“Malaking bagay ito sa amin dahil we are fighting for our lives. LPU nandun na eh. Kahit pangit yung start namin, the boys showed character. We also showed composure nung last minute. ‘Yung win na ito ay credit to the boys,” said head coach Egay Macaraya.
San Sebastian figured in a slow start, falling behind by as much as 19 points in the game. But Allyn Bulanadi caught fire in the final frame, scoring 10 of his 28 points during that span.
RK Ilagan added 11 markers, while JM Calma hauled down nine boards.
Lyceum saw their six-game winning streak snap to fall to 12-4. The Pirates still remain in solo second.
Jaycee Marcelino paced the Pirates with 21 points, six rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Meanwhile, Nzeusseu added 16 points and 12 rebounds.
The Scores:
SSC-R 73 — Bulanadi 28, Ilagan 11, Capobres 9, Calma 7, Villapando 7, Calahat 7, Tero 2, Loristo 2, Sumoda 0, Desoyo 0, Altamirano 0, Isidro 0.
LPU 71 — Jc. Marcelino 21, Nzeusseu 16, Santos 9, Caduyac 7, Jv. Marcelino 5, Tansingco 5, Ibanez 3, Navarro 3, Valdez 2, David 0, Yong 0, Pretta 0, Guinto 0.
Quarterscores: 11-26, 33-43, 50-53, 73-71.
