By: Jerod Orcullo
After two days of action in the NCAA Season 100 Juniors Basketball Tournament, only University of Perpetual Help System DALTA and San Beda-Rizal remain undefeated, Wednesday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
The Altas added another tally to its win column with a hard-fought 92-88 victory over the La Salle Green Hills Greenies, surviving a furious late-game rally from the Greenies.
Meanwhile, San Beda-Rizal fended off a gritty San Sebastian College-Recoletos squad, 69-64, in another nail-biter.
Under the leadership of head coach Joph Cleopas, Perpetual dominated inside, scoring 68 points in the paint and grabbing 62 rebounds, overwhelming the much smaller Greenies, who only managed 36 points in the paint and 45 total boards.
“Yung makuha yung going to the Finals, siyempre in our hearts we want that, but we cannot say na that’s the ceiling kasi sobrang lalakas ng teams right now. We can not say who is the dark horse right now kasi anybody’s ball game,” said Cleopas.
Jericho Cristino led the Junior Altas with an efficient 21 points and nine rebounds. Meanwhile, Jan Roluna followed up his strong performance against Mapúa with another all-around effort — 16 points, seven rebounds, five steals, one block, and an assist.
Graduating big man Lebron Jhames Daep also delivered another double-double, finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Despite the size disadvantage, LSGH fought relentlessly.
Even after trailing by 16 early in the fourth quarter, 79-63, the Greenies clawed back to cut the deficit to just two, 85-83, with 3:03 remaining.
Despite the late-game push from LSGH, Perpetual executed in the clutch to secure its second win of the season.
Andrei Ugaddan, on the other hand, once again led the Red Cubs with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals.
However, he might have to sit out their next match-up against Perpetual after being ejected with a disqualifying foul at the 5:53 mark of the fourth quarter.
As of writing, the NCAA has yet to release an official ruling on his status.
Aside from Ugaddan, Laurence Batongbakal chipped in 13 points, including eight in the final period, while MJ Vailoces posted a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Although the final score suggests a close contest, San Beda actually trailed for most of the game.
“It should be expected na lahat ng games should be close. Lahat ng teams nag-improve eh, lahat kayang talunin kahit sino,” said San Beda head coach Miko Roldan.
Just as they did in their previous win over EAC, the Red Cubs relied on their late-game composure to outlast San Sebastian.
Meanwhile, Emilio Aguinaldo College bounced back from an overtime loss to San Beda by overwhelming Arellano University, 87-71.
The Brigadiers suffered heartbreak in their season opener when MJ Vailoces’ game-winning layup lifted San Beda past them, but head coach Noy Catalan made sure his team was mentally prepared for their second outing.
“Sinabi ko sa mga bata, bawal kami matalo sa Arellano, kasi mababaon kami sa 10th spot. So chinallenge ko sila, sabi ko sa kanila iwasan nila yung pagkakanya-kanya. Buti na lang nag-respond sila,” Catalan shared.
EAC responded in dominant fashion, led by Kelly Coronel’s all-around performance—25 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks and steals.
Gedrick Luna contributed a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while EJ Castillo and Ian Cuajao added 16 and 14 points, respectively.
Although the game started as a back-and-forth affair, the Brigadiers took full control in the second half, leading by as many as 26 points, 83-57, midway through the fourth quarter.
LSGH was led by Guillan Quines, who poured in 22 points along with four steals and three rebounds.
For Arellano, Sean Franco registered 17 points and eight rebounds, while Denver Baluyot added 13 markers.
San Sebastian’s scoring effort was paced by Benedick Jimenez and Jhun Penaverde, who each finished with 12 points.
The Scores:
Third Game
UPHSD 92 – Cristino 21, Roluna 16, Daep 14, Corpuz 10, Callangan 9, Pagulayan 8, Borja 6, Rosales 5, Baldoria 2, Tabbuan 1, Zanoria 0, Velasquez 0.
LSGH 88 – Quines 22, Ortega 17, Podador 16, Gomez 14, Yutuc 5, Ison 4, Osis 4, Sharma 4, Peralta 2, Abad 0, Gonzales 0, Torres 0.
Quarterscores: 21-20, 44-36, 77-63, 92-88.
Fourth Game
EAC-ICA 87 – Coronel 25, Castillo 16, Cuajao 14, Luna 10, Lanceta 6, Campana 5, Lumbo 5, Tecson 4, Iraham 2, Bonus 0, Canonigo 0, Asay 0, Muammilhalil 0, Bautista 0, Razo 0.
AU 71 – Franco 17, Baluyot 13, Manansala 10, Ladica 10, Mendoza 8, Yusi 5, Aurita 3, Dy 2, Guiral 2, Vergara 1, Pascual 0, Tagorda 0, Pillas 0, Distrito 0, Pangilinan 0.
Quarterscores: 24-21, 48-36, 74-54, 87-71.
Fifth Game
SBU-R 69 – Ugaddan 15, Batongbakal 13, Vailoces 11, Dollente 9, Medroso 9, Winters 4, Reroma 3, San Juan 2, Feliciano 0, Garcia 0, Mondigo 0.
SSCR 64 – Jimenez 12, Penaverde 12, Herrera 10, Rosales 9, Marasigan 7, Velasquez 6, Bautista 2, Hadji Casan 2, Victoria 2, Ynot 2, Apostol 0, Gunting 0, Melani 0, Santos 0.
Quarterscores: 25-22, 35-43, 53-50, 69-64
