Emilio Aguinaldo College-Immaculate Conception Academy and Arellano University produced heart-stopping finishes on Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, both claiming dramatic victories that shook up the standings in the NCAA Season 101 Juniors Basketball Tournament.
In Group B action, EAC-ICA stunned Colegio de San Juan de Letran, 83-81, in a back-and-forth contest that featured nine lead changes in the final five minutes.
Down 81-80 with 24 seconds left, 5-foot-9 guard Clint Bonus, a native of Tarlac City, calmly drilled a jumper over Mico Pascual to give the Brigadiers the lead.
Meanwhile, in Group A, Arellano University edged defending champion Perpetual College in a thrilling 97-95 overtime victory.
On the next possession, Nathan Egea and Pascual missed their shots while Noel Anceta split his free throws to push EAC-ICA’s advantage to two points.
Egea’s final attempt at a go-ahead shot fell short, sealing the win and lifting the Brigadiers to a 2-1 record, tying them with LSGH Greenies for second, while the Squires dropped to 3-1.
Bonus led the way with 15 points, eight assists, and five rebounds, while Kelly Coronel added 16 points.
Tristan Allam and James Castro contributed 11 points apiece, with Allam also grabbing 11 rebounds.
(C) NCAA/GMA
With the Braves trailing by a point in the final seconds of regulation in the night game, Ray Ladica shook off three defenders to sink a tough floater, giving Arellano a two-point cushion with 3.8 seconds left.
On Perpetual’s ensuing possession, Ladica stayed glued to Ezekiel Zamoras and blocked the potential game-tying three-pointer, securing the win for the Braves.
Ladica finished with a team-high 23 points, along with seven rebounds, three steals, one block, and an assist.
Axel Mendoza added 13 points, while Sean Franco and Aaron Manansala chipped in 12 apiece to help Arellano improve to a 2-1 record, marking back-to-back wins.
For Perpetual, Don Rosales and Zamoras led the scoring with 25 and 24 points, respectively, while Hanz Llupar contributed 11.
The Junior ALTAS, unable to recover from Arellano’s late-game heroics, fell to 2-2 following their Wednesday loss to Mapua, leaving the defending champions searching for answers early in the season.
For Letran, Egea posted 16 points on 15 attempts, Pascual had 15 points and six rebounds, Harvey Macadangdang scored 12, and Justin Cargo recorded an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double.
