By: Miguel Caramoan
Jun Roque and Chad Gammad made the most of their opportunities for Colegio de San Juan de Letran, powering the Knights to a come-from-behind 82-73 victory over Emilio Aguinaldo College, Sunday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
The win keeps Letran in step with College of Saint Benilde for a twice-to-beat incentive in the NCAA Season 101 Seniors Basketball Tournament.
Roque was efficient, scoring 15 points on 75% shooting in just 14 minutes, while rookie Gammad added 11 points and three rebounds on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc in 16 minutes of action.
“Lagi ako kinakausap ng mga coaches na acceptance ba kasi para naman sa team eh and hindi naman para sa akin, para makuha yung goal namin,” Roque said on embracing his new role for Letran.
“Siguro yung pagiging beterano ko na sa liga, kumbaga leadership na lang yung ma-share ko sa mga baguhan at mga rookies namin,” he added.
After a back-and-forth first half—where EAC opened the game with an eight-point lead before Letran surged in the second quarter to grab a 38-37 lead—the third quarter saw EJ Castillo spearhead a 10-0 run for the Generals, pushing EAC ahead 55-45 with 4:13 left as the rookie scored 10 points in the period.
With the Generals leading 63-59 after three quarters, Letran responded with a 16-5 run to take control at 75-68, highlighted by a basket from Roque with 2:24 remaining. Gammad’s three triples in the final quarter sealed the win, extending the lead to 78-70 with 1:29 left.
“We have to solidify our defense, that’s number one. At least i-limit namin yung kalaban namin to 15 points pababa kasi based on the overall stats ang taas ng binibigay namin,” coach Allen Ricardo said about Letran’s fourth-quarter comeback.
“But again, it’s a process, kailangan trabahuhin namin yon at kailangan maintindihan nung mga bata yon. It’s not just about scoring, how you defend, and limit the offensive rebounds and limit the opponent to one shot, then have an opportunity going into our offense.”
The win keeps Letran in contention for one of the two twice-to-beat spots in the quarterfinals, improving to 7-5 and just a half-game behind the Benilde Blazers for second seed in Group B.
“We’re trying to get better going to the playoffs, so malapit na yon. May isa pa kaming game against San Beda, we’re just trying to get better – hanap pa ng ibang kombinasyon and trying to give a break doon sa mga tumatrabaho sa ensayo,” Ricardo said on the Knights’ preparation heading into the playoffs.
Letran will look to secure another key win against San Beda next week at the Filoil EcoOil Centre to strengthen their top-two bid in Group B.
Meanwhile, EAC dropped to 4-7 and is now locked into a play-in game.
The loss came despite a career-high 23-point outing from Castillo, who also had five assists and four steals. The Generals will face Group B leader San Beda on Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
The Scores:
Letran 82 – Roque 15, Gammad 11, Cuajao 10, Santos 10, Manalili 9, Estrada 9, Omega 9, Montecillo 7, Gazzingan 2, Buensalida 0, Tapenio 0
EAC 73 – Castillo 23, Bagay 13, Lucero 12, Shanoda 7, Angeles 5, Omandac 4, Loristo 4, Oftana 3, Quinal 2, Ochavo 0
Quarterscores: 11-19, 38-37, 59-63, 82-73
