Colegio de San Juan de Letran continued its dominance in the NCAA Season 98 Juniors Basketball Tournament with a 97-89 win over the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, Wednesday at EAC Gym.
Andy Gemao led the Squires once more, this time finishing with 25 points on 9-for-16 shooting from the field, four rebounds, one assist, and three steals.
Squires head coach Allen Ricardo noted that Gemao is now starting to bring the game to him.
“Medyo nag-loloosen up na siya. Inexpect din na yung iba pumutok [na] din,” he said.
In the final minutes of the game, Jonathan Manalili and Joven Baliling combined to score six straight points to give Letran a double-digit lead and secure the victory.
George Diamante and Jonathan Hugo both recorded double-doubles for the Squires, with Diamante scoring 13 points and grabbing 16 rebounds, and Hugo adding 12 points and 13 rebounds.
In a thriller, La Salle Green Hills made it two wins in a row by hacking out a 73-69 victory against Arellano University.
Rod Alien secured the win with a crucial putback to give the Greenies a three-point advantage, which they held on to until the end of the game.
Coach Renren Ritualo emphasized the need for the Greenies to mature quickly in the middle of the season, as they look to continue their winning streak.
“To be honest they have to go up quickly. They have to mature quickly. I know it’s very demanding but it’s a short season,” said the Greenies’ head tactician.
Luis Pablo led La Salle with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and a block, while Alien contributed 16 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.
For the Junior Altas, Christian Vergara finished with 25 points and seven assists while Amiel Acido had 11 markers and 13 boards.
For the Braves, SJ Moore finished with 20 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks, and Axel Javier recorded 14 points and six rebounds.
These two wins have put Letran and La Salle Green Hills at 4-0 and 2-2, respectively, in the standings.
On the other hand, Perpetual dropped to 2-2, and Arellano University remains winless at 0-4.
The Scores:
Fourth Game
LSGH (73) — Pablo 21, Alian 16, Ison 14, Mesias 8, Gagate 7, Gomez 3, S. Romero 2, Zaragosa 2, Rivero 0, Gullab 0.
Arellano (69) — Moore 20, Javier 14, Panapanaan 7, Nambi 7, Reguera 6, Pondoc 5, Mallari 5, Yu 2, Jimenez 2, Espinosa 1, Mendoza 0, Pascual 0.
Quarterscores: 19-15, 38-35, 51-56, 73-69
Fifth Game
Letran (97) — Gemao 25, Cruz 13, Diamante 13, Hugo 12, Navarro 9, Manalili 8, Baliling 7, Anabo 4, Alforque 2, Silorio 2, Datumalim 1, Moreno 1, Padilla 0, Paguligan 0, Reyes 0.
Perpetual (89) — Vergara 25, Callangan 14, Pagulayan 12, Acido 11, Montero 11, Canlas 7, Daep 5, Mascariñas 2, Montemayor 2, De Ala 0, Panelo 0.
Quarterscores: 25-29, 58-54, 85-72, 97-89
