NCAA squads Letran Asenso Bancoro and College of St. Benilde secured breakthrough victories in the 3rd Gov. Ann K. Hofer Open Invitational Basketball Tournament, stunning their opponents on Wednesday at the Cultural & Sports Center in Sibugay.
Deo Cuajao and Aaron Buensalida delivered in the clutch as the Knights edged the Zamboanga Valientes, 65-62, to notch their first win in the tournament.
In the second game, Justine Sanchez played hero for the Blazers, scoring a crucial putback to lift Benilde past La Salle, 79-78, in a stunning upset.
Trailing 57-62 with two minutes remaining, Letran found a spark when Cuajao converted a three-point play against Mike Tolomia, trimming the deficit to two.
Buensalida then took matters into his own hands, scoring on back-to-back possessions to push the Knights ahead, 64-62, with just 41.5 seconds left.
Zamboanga had opportunities to regain the lead, but Forthsky Padrigao and Vic Manuel missed their three-point attempts. Mark Omega then split his free throws with 4.6 seconds left, sealing the win for Letran.
“Unang una, pinaghandaan talaga namin ‘yung kalaban namin ngayon. Ang mentality namin is kunin talaga ‘yung first win namin kasi ito lang talaga ‘yung chance namin para makapasok sa next level, so pinaghandaan talaga namin,” said Buensalida.
Coming off a tough loss against Basilan Starhorse, Letran improved to 1-1, while the previously unbeaten Valientes slipped to 2-1 after back-to-back wins over Benilde and defending champion De La Salle University.
“Sabi lang ni coach na i-settle ko ‘yung emotions ko kasi nga nafu-frustrate na rin kami dahil ang dami naming turnovers, especially nung huli. Lalo na ako, nag-start sa akin nung fourth quarter eh dalawa turnovers ko,” said Sanchez.
“Nakinig lang ako sa kanila, nakinig lang ako sa coaches ko. Nag-focus lang kami, ‘yun lang.”
La Salle’s reigning tournament MVP Mike Phillips appeared to have saved the Green Archers, driving strong to the hoop to give them a 78-77 lead with 22.9 seconds left.
However, Sanchez refused to back down. The 6-foot-5 forward corralled his own miss and converted the follow-up, reclaiming a 79-78 advantage for Benilde.
With time winding down, Raffy Celis came up with a game-changing steal on a driving Phillips, forcing La Salle to foul Jhomel Ancheta with 6.5 seconds remaining. Ancheta missed both free throws, but Raven Gonzales failed to secure the rebound, allowing the Blazers to retain possession.
Nathan Victoria then dribbled out the clock, securing Benilde’s first victory and improving their record to 1-1.
Meanwhile, La Salle’s struggles continued as they fell to 0-3 in the tournament.
