By: Jerod Orcullo
University of Perpetual Help System DALTA secured a spot in the NCAA Season 100 Juniors’ Basketball Final Four with a dominant 104-69 victory over San Sebastian College-Recoletos on Tuesday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Leading the charge for the Junior Altas was Lebron Jhames Daep, who delivered an efficient 20-point performance while also grabbing six rebounds.
Not far behind him in scoring was fellow senior Jan Paguluyan, who contributed 15 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Jan Roluna and Dan Rosales also made their presence felt with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Despite the emphatic win, Perpetual head coach Joph Cleopas remains focused on one ultimate goal: the championship.
“Sobrang saya, but I’m controlling my emotions, not to overwhelm even the players. Remind them na wala pa eh, walang nanalo sa semifinals, I mean walang nag-chachampion sa semifinals,” he said.
“So we need to respect yung next mga games namin, and just be ready lang, and stay grounded.”
San Sebastian initially held a slim five-point lead, 13-8, after a layup by Harry Herrera at the 6:20 mark of the first quarter.
However, momentum quickly shifted when Cleopas’ second unit checked in, closing the period with a commanding 23-8 run. From there, the Junior Altas never looked back, with Daep spearheading an offensive onslaught that saw their lead balloon to as much as 35 points before the final buzzer.
Last season’s runner-up will now have a shot at redemption as it faces Colegio de San Juan de Letran on March 31 at 4:00 PM in the final game of the elimination round.
The Staglets, which fell to 2-6, were led by the duo of Benedick Jimenez and Sanlea Penaverde. They both got 25 points each, with the latter also grabbing 11 boards.
The Scores:
UPHSD 104 – Daep 20, Pagulayan 15, Roluna 11, Rosales 10, Cristino 9, Corpuz 9, Baldoria 7, Borja 7, Tabbuan 6, Nitura 6, Callangan 2, Dela Cruz Zanoria 0, Zamoras 0, Patalinghug 0.
SSC-R 69 – Penaverde 25, Jimenez 25, Herrera 7, Marasigan 4, Santos 4, Apostol 2, Melano 2, Victoria 0, Agojo 0, Casan 0, Candare 0, Ynot 0, Velasquez 0, Gunting 0.
Quarterscores: 31-19, 57-35, 82-56, 104-69.
