Even in the heated moments of Game One of the Finals series, the aces of both San Beda College and Lyceum of the Philippines University still found the time to exchange words of encouragement with each other. Robert Bolick and CJ Perez were seen conversing mid-court with 20 seconds left in the match.
“Sabi ko ‘wag silang bibitaw kasi kukunin namin sa kanila. Pero joke lang yun kanina,” the NCAA Season 93 MVP recalled.
Perez said this with 20 seconds left and with only four points to conquer, 91-87. Unfortunately, contrary to what he had quipped, Lyceum fell short for the first time this season, 94-87.
“Kaya sabi ko sa kanya babawi kami. Magkikita pa kami sa Game Two, yun lang sabi ko [kay Robert],” added Perez, who finished the game with 25 points, eight rebounds, and two assists.
On the hand, Bolick shared that during that sequence, he extended his well-wishes to the newly-heralded MVP.
“Sabi ko [kay CJ], good job, see you on Game Two and congratulations for the MVP, you deserve it,” shared Bolick, who tallied 24 points in 35 minutes.
“Ang galing niya eh, magaling talaga siya. As I’ve said, you can’t stop him, like [Jio] Jalalon.
“You just force him to tough shots, force him to miss. He’s gonna make shots,” the combo guard pointed out.
As expected, the marquee stars showed up to play. Both student-athletes were pivotal in the game’s crucial moments.
And this game proved that both will do whatever it takes to win.
“That’s the beauty of basketball, the competition. At the end of the day, we’re still friends, but inside the court, we want to win,” Bolick affirmed.
Their second game will be on November 16, and both aces promised that they will give their all again just like what they always do — classic Lyceum versus San Beda.
“Yung performance namin kanina siguro kailangan pa namin dagdagan. Yung effort talaga. Babawi kami sa Game 2,” said the Pirate.
“We’ll be ready for them, and I know galing ng depensa nila, so paano pa kaya sa Game 2. We have to double our effort. Credits to them,” the Red Lion affirmed.
