By: Jerod Orcullo
From being just one win away from a championship in Season 98 to missing the Final Four entirely the following year, La Salle Green Hills has clawed its way back into title contention — now forcing a do-or-die Game 3 against the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA.
In a thrilling contest, the Greenies managed to even the NCAA Season 100 Juniors Finals series with a hard-fought 95-91 win over the Junior Altas, setting up a winner-take-all showdown this Tuesday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
At the helm of La Salle’s resurgence is former King Archer Renren Ritualo, who has served as the team’s head coach since his appointment in 2022.
Unlike their previous Finals run that featured Gilas prospects Luis Pablo, Seven Gagate, and Joshua Coronel, this year’s team is anchored by Guillian Quines — who has emerged as one of the top high school standouts in the country.
But with Quines drawing the bulk of defensive attention, the Greenies have leaned heavily on their supporting cast.
Players like Migz Osis, Gian Gomez, Brian Yutuc, Ram Sharma, and Dale Ortega all stepped up when it mattered most.
“Well that’s the character of our team. One man down, next man up. So we’re covering for our weakness, playing with our strengths — that’s what I like with the team. We just fight for each other,” said Ritualo when asked about his squad’s collective effort beyond their star player.
“Hindi kami papayag, one man down we’re just going to give up, no. We’re going to fight until the end.”
Indeed, La Salle has needed every ounce of effort from its roster to even be in this position. Without the team’s grit and resilience, the Greenies wouldn’t have made it back to the championship round.
Their road to the Finals wasn’t without drama. In the final game of the elimination round, both Ritualo and Quines were ejected after receiving two technical fouls apiece, putting them in a difficult position heading into the semifinals against second-seeded Colegio de San Juan de Letran.
Despite being shorthanded, the Greenies shocked the Squires in Game 1 and eventually secured their spot in the Finals.
“It’s a roller coaster ride for us. I got suspended, our star player got suspended, everybody stepped up — my coaching staff stepped up, the other players stepped up in Game 1 against Letran. We won, we pushed through. Tapos Game 2, we were there, we sealed the ball game. Now we’re here in the Finals. We just have to keep on fighting. I can’t really express any words about the synergy of the team, because the energy is so positive — we don’t put our heads down,” Ritualo shared.
“This is like two years in the making. We’ve been through a lot of challenges already. Siguro wala na kaming challenges na kailangan pa namin daanan — we’ve been through a lot,” he added.
Now with a shot at capturing their first NCAA title since Season 93, Ritualo — a four-time UAAP champion with De La Salle University — believes his players will leave it all on the floor. He emphasized the importance of mindset and positivity heading into the decisive Game 3.
“I’ve been here lots of times — backs against the wall — we’re not backing down. We’ll prepare for Game 3. One thing’s for sure: the boys will fight until the end. Whatever the game plan is, like I said to them, tama o mali ako, kung ano man gawin niyo sa loob, it should be positive. Kung tingin niyo tama, just play the game and have fun.”
