By: Jerod Orcullo
Emotions ran high at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan as University of Perpetual Help System DALTA clinched its first-ever juniors basketball championship on Tuesday.
With a dominant all-around performance, the Junior Altas overwhelmed the La Salle Green Hills Greenies, 101-67.
Perpetual shot an impressive 49.4% from the field (40-of-81) while limiting the Greenies to just 33.3% shooting on the other end.
Jan Roluna led the way for Perpetual with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists.
Reigning MVP Lebron Jhames Daep also registered a double-double with 10 points and 12 boards, while Icee Callangan added 14 points and a game-high 12 assists.
Right from the tip-off, the Junior Altas displayed a much higher level of intensity compared to Game 2 last Sunday, when the Greenies extended the series with a gritty 95-91 win.
Head coach Joph Cleopas shared that his team made significant adjustments heading into the winner-take-all Game 3 — particularly on the defensive end.
“Malaking adjustment namin sobra, I told diba, since yung first game, sabi ko, ‘This series is all about adjustments’. We’re just blessed na nakuha namin yung first game, the reason why we adjusted going into the game three,” said Cleopas.
“We pressed a lot before but we pulled it back and stick to individual defense, focus on containing those, be patient, and execute what we planned. Making it simple basketball.”
The Junior Altas came out firing from the dugout, draining six triples en route to a commanding 32-18 lead at the end of the first quarter.
La Salle had no answers for Perpetual’s offensive onslaught, as the lead ballooned to as many as 34 points, 99-65, with less than a minute remaining in the game.
Despite struggling to find touches early, Guillan Quines still managed to finish with a team-high 18 points, along with four rebounds and two assists.
Fellow senior Gian Gomez also had his best performance of the series scoring-wise, chipping in 17 points.
The Scores:
UPHSD 101 – Roluna 15, Callangan 14, Corpuz 13, Rosales 12, Daep 10, Pagulayan 9, Tabbuan 9, Baldoria 5, Nitura 3, Dela Cruz 3, Velasquez 2, Borja 2, Llupar 2, Cristino 2, Zanoria 0.
LSGH 67 – Quines 18, Gomez 17, Ortega 9, Podador 8, Osis 4, Yutuc 3, Ison 2, Sharma 2, Torres 2, Abad 2, Hizon 0, Hachuela 0, Tud 0, Gonzales 0.
Quarterscores: 32-18, 58-38, 81-55, 101-67.
