By: Leiniel Santos
Daniel Padilla put on a show with a dominant 39-point explosion, leading Colegio de San Juan de Letran to a hard-fought 88-84 victory over San Sebastian College-Recoletos in the NCAA Season 100 Juniors Basketball Tournament on Sunday at the EAC Gym in Manila.
Padilla, who also grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out an assist, delivered in the clutch as the Squires improved to a 5-2 record, to remain at solo second — just half-a-game behind the Perpetual Junior Altas who are facing the EAC Brigadiers as of publishing.
It was a back-and-forth battle in the first half, but Letran unleashed a crucial 10-0 run before halftime to seize the momentum.
However, the Staglets responded with a surge of their own, taking a 72-64 lead in the fourth quarter.
Refusing to back down, Padilla drained a clutch three-pointer to tie the game at 79-all, then converted an and-one play to push Letran ahead, 82-79.
With two minutes left on the clock, his heroics ensured the Squires stayed in control until the final buzzer.
“Good effort from Padilla, pati defensively. Maganda rin ‘yung naging depensa ng bata,” said Letran head coach Willie Miller, praising his young star’s all-around performance.
Despite Staglets’ loss, Sanlea Penaverde continued his stellar play, finishing with 29 points, nine rebounds, and four assists.
Lordy Victoria had 15 points, while Marc Santos tallied 12 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Benedick Jimenez and Alinor Hadji Casan also made key contributions with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
San Sebastian fell to 2-5 to remain in ninth.
Meanwhile, in the first game of the day, San Beda-Rizal snapped their three-game skid in emphatic fashion, overpowering the Arellano University Braves, 105-68.
Now at 4-3, the Red Cubs looked more like the team head coach Miko Roldan envisioned.
“I think this game, eto talaga ‘yung kilala kong Red Cubs. We were really moving the ball, walang kanya-kanya. Sana moving forward, maging consistent kami,” Roldan said.
The Red Cubs are at solo fifth and await the results of the EAC-Perpetual and Malayan Red Robins-JRU Light Bombers game.
San Beda took control early and never looked back, becoming the first team this season to breach the 100-point mark. Five Red Cubs finished in double figures, with two recording double-doubles.
Andrei Ugaddan starred with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists, while MJ Vailoces added 10 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists.
Laurence Batongbakal also shined with 19 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists. Randaile Medroso chipped in 17 points and six rebounds, while Juris San Juan contributed 10 points, four rebounds, and an assist.
For Arellano which fell to 3-4 for sixth, Johnray Ladica’s 15 points and one rebound weren’t enough, as he was the only Brave to score in double digits.
The Scores
First Game:
SBU 105 – Batongbakal 19, Ugaddan 19, Mendroso 17, Vailoces 10, San Juan 10, Wagan 9, Dollente 7, Reroma 5, Garcia 3, Mondigo 2, Lago 2, Sahali 2, Tauber 0, Feliciano 0, Winters 0
AU 68 – Ladica 15, Baluyot 9, Yusi 8, Distrito 7, Dy 6, Mendoza 6, Vergara 6, Manansala 5, Pillas 4, Austria 2, Aurita 0, Pascual 0, Tagorda 0, Guiral 0, Ferriols 0
Quarterscores: 34-18, 58-31, 85-52, 105-68.
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Second Game:
CSJL 88 – Padilla 39, Cruz 9, Silorio 8, Valdeavilla 6, Cargo 6, Pico 6, Dela Rama 4, Lumague 4, Alforque 4, Villanueva 2, Quinones 0, Quijada 0, Hugo 0, Danan 0, Magcale 0
SSCR 84 – Penaverde 29, Victoria 15, Santos 12, Jimenez 11, Casan 10, Herrera 7, Apostol 0, Marasigan 0, Melano 0, Ynot 0, Candare 0
Quarterscores: 19-23, 48-43, 61-65, 88-84.
