By: Rom Anzures
San Beda University-Taytay made a miraculous comeback in the second half against University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, triumphing, 96-87, on Monday in the NCAA Season 98 Juniors Basketball Tournament at the Emilio Aguinaldo College Gymnasium.
The Red Cubs were down by 25 points, 54-29, and only 10 seconds left in the second quarter.
The Junior Altas were on fire, hitting shot after shot and it seemed like the night was going to end early for the Red Cubs.
However, Christopher Hubilla, John Lopez, and Jharmaine Lecciones had other plans.
In the third quarter, they turned a 41-65 deficit into a two-point lead, 67-65, as UPHSD went scoreless from 6:45 until 1:49 in the quarter.
Hubilla had a double-double performance with 25 points and 11 rebounds, alongside three steals. Lopez contributed 24 points, with five of them coming from beyond the arc. Lecciones also hit timely shots in the comeback, contributing 16 points.
San Beda head coach Miko Roldan talked about what he told his team during the break.
“Ang naaalala ko na lang sumisigaw na ‘ko para buhayin sila, kasi medyo parang patay na yung spirit nila,” said San Beda head coach Miko Roldan on what he told his squad at the break.
Despite Jan Pagulayan’s 21 points and Amiel Acido’s 17 points and 12 rebounds, the Junior Altas went down to 3-3.
Meanwhile, San Sebastian College-Recolletos made all the winning plays in the payoff period to overcome Lyceum of the Philippines, 92-87.
The Staglets faced a 10-point deficit of 75-65 with only 5:52 remaining in the fourth quarter.
However, they outscored the Junior Pirates 27-12 to end the quarter.
Staglets Juan Miguel Martin credited his coaching staff for the late-game defensive adjustments that led to the win.
“Actually nagkamali pa nga ako eh. I played zone in the last two minutes. Nagpapasalamat ako kay coach John (Kallos) and coach Boni (Garcia) na niremind ako na wag ako mag-zone,” he said.
Earnest Geronimo made a game-winning drive to overtake LPU with a score of 88-87 and 33.3 seconds left in the game. He finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
Mark De Leon contributed with a solid double-double performance of 20 points and 14 rebounds.
The Junior Pirates were led by yet another all-around performance from Matthew Rubico, who put up 25 points, 16 rebounds, seven dimes, two rejections, and a steal.
Nat Fuentes followed, scoring 25 points as well.
San Sebastian improved to 4-2, while San Beda, Perpetual, and LPU are triple-tied with a 3-3 win-loss record.
The Scores:
Fourth Game:
San Sebastian (92) — Geronimo 20, De Leon 20, Porcadas 15, Danag 12, Parba 8, Balbao 8, Jardinico 6, Bularin 2, Bandino 1, Rojas 0, Caysido 0, Hernandez 0, Datario 0
Lyceum (87) — Rubico 25, Fuentes 25, Matienzo 16, Mulligan 12, Zy Espinas 4, Pariñas 3, Mointilla 2, Torres 0, Magarse 0, Poli 0, Espinas 0, Zi. Espinas 0, Villa 0
Quarterscores: 12-19, 38-42, 56-58, 92-87
Fifth Game
San Beda (96) — Hubilla 25, Lopez 24, Lecciones 16, Dungo 12, Lorenzo 8, Cañete 7, Reyes 4, Ludovice 0, Ronquillo 0, Sollano 0, Wagan 0.
Perpetual (87) — Pagulayan 21, Acido 17, Daep 12, Callangan 10, Montemayor 10, Mascariñas 8, Montero 4, Canlas 3, Baldoria 2, Vergara 0.
Quarterscores: 18-21, 32-54, 69-72, 96-87
