By: Jerod Orcullo
San Beda University-Rizal and La Salle Green Hills officially secured their spots in the Final Four with crucial victories on the final day of the elimination round in the NCAA Season 100 Juniors’ Basketball Tournament, Monday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
LSGH outlasted Emilio Aguinaldo College-Immaculate Conception Academy, 81-70, while San Beda edged Jose Rizal University, 64-62, to complete the Final Four lineup.
San Sebastian College-Recoletos also played a pivotal role by eliminating Malayan High School, 79-74, in the day’s opening game.
Both the Greenies and the Red Cubs finished with identical 6-3 records, but LSGH secured the third seed due to their 78-65 victory over San Beda on March 10.
Meanwhile, the Red Robins and the Brigadiers fell just one game short of making the postseason, finishing with 5-4 slates.
Earlier in the day, a stunning turn of events gave both the Red Cubs and the Greenies a confidence boost.
In his final game for the Golden Staglets, Sanlea Penaverde delivered yet another stellar performance, scoring a game-high 28 points along with four rebounds and two assists. Benedick Jimenez added 20 points and eight boards, while Harry Herrera dominated the glass with 16 rebounds and 13 points.
With nothing to lose, San Sebastian played with relentless energy, keeping Mapua on the back foot throughout the game. At one point, the Golden Staglets led by as many as 15 points, 69-54, with 4:21 left in the fourth quarter.
Despite a late rally from Mapua, Jimenez sealed the win by making all four of his free throws down the stretch.
For San Beda, MJ Vailoces stepped up when it mattered most, nearly posting a double-double with 22 points, eight rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block. Andrei Ugaddan provided efficient scoring with 18 points and seven boards, while Laurence Batongbakal contributed 10 points.
Despite the crucial win, San Beda head coach Mikko Roldan reminded his players to stay focused on their ultimate goal — the championship.
“Yun nga sabi ko rin sa players namin, ‘Job’s not done.’ Talagang before the season, ang goal namin is to win the championship, so it’s all or nothing for us,” Roldan stated.
San Beda initially built a comfortable nine-point lead at the start of the third quarter, 40-31, but struggled to pull away as Jose Rizal fought hard to end their season on a high note. The Light Bombers even took the lead after a Lexi Callueng three-pointer put them ahead, 61-59, with 2:13 left in the game.
However, in the clutch, the Red Cubs’ duo of Vailoces and Ugaddan proved to be the difference-makers. Vailoces nailed a crucial three-pointer from the right wing to tie the game, and moments later, Ugaddan calmly sank the game-winning free throws to clinch San Beda’s semifinal berth.
For LSGH, Guillan Quines led the charge with 25 points and five rebounds. However, his night ended on a sour note as he was ejected with 1:15 remaining in the fourth quarter due to a technical foul for taunting. As a result, he is no longer eligible for any individual awards or Mythical Five honors this season.
Along with Quines, Greenies head coach Renren Ritualo was also thrown out after receiving his second technical foul. Despite the setbacks, team co-captain Gian Gomez stepped up in the final moments, dishing an assist to Ram Sharma and converting his own layup to help close out the game.
When asked about his composure in crucial moments, Gomez credited his experience playing alongside former teammates like Luis Pablo, Seven Gagate, and Joshua Coronel during Season 98.
“Siguro po, even though I’m young, it comes with the maturity kasi I played with sila Pablo, Gagate, Coronel, and those guys are Gilas prospects. Sa practice ng NC games, tinitignan ko lang kung ano yung ginagawa nila sa big stage, so dun ko nakuha yung kumpiyansa ko to play at this level at a big stage,” he shared.
La Salle overwhelmed Emilio Aguinaldo with a dominant 32-point second quarter, building a lead as large as 16 points, 45-29, with 2:22 left before halftime.
Sean Salvador led Malayan with 15 points, while Ruzzel Del Poso and Yuri Duque chipped in 11 apiece.
For the Brigadiers, EJ Castillo paced the team with 22 points, four assists, and four steals, while Kelly Coronel struggled, scoring only four points on a rough 1-of-10 shooting night.
As for the Light Bombers, Callueng tallied 15 points, two rebounds, and two blocks, while Marin and AJ Lacusong each contributed 11 points.
The Scores:
First Game:
SSC-R 79 – Penaverde 28, Jimenez 20, Herrera 13, Ynot 7, Hadji Casan 5, Apostol 3, Candare 2, Melano 1, Marasigan 0, Victoria 0, Santos 0, Rodriguez 0, Agojo 0.
MHS 74 – Salvador 15, Duque 11, Del Poso 11, Reyes 10, Coronel 9, Laurenaria 8, Miranda 7, Bagro 2, Rodriguez 1, Tagocon 0, Bernabe 0, Gragasin 0.
Quarterscores: 17-24, 38-34, 55-47, 79-74.
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Second Game:
SBU-R 64 – Vailoces 22, Ugaddan 18, Batongbakal 10, Dollente 6, Reroma 2, Medroso 2, Wagan 2, San Juan 2, Tauber 0, Mondigo 0, Winters 0.
JRU 62 – Callueng 15, Marin 11, Lacusong 11, Satparam 8, Castillo 5, Abequibel 4, Taparan 4, Almario 2, To 2, Pinzon 0, Quillban 0, Correa 0.
Quarterscores: 20-20, 36-31, 46-42, 64-62.
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Third Game:
LSGH 81 – Quines 25, Ortega 14, Sharma 11, Gomez 9, Ison 9, Abad 4, Podador 3, Yutuc 3, Hizon 3, Osis 0.
EAC-ICA 70 – Castillo 22, Cuajao 12, Binus 11, Lanceta 10, Luna 4, Coronel 4, Razo 3, Campana 2, Tecson 2, Canonigo 0, Bautista 0, Lumbo 0.
Quarterscores: 17-19, 49-37, 66-54, 81-70.
