By: Jerod Orcullo
San Beda-Rizal outlasted Emilio Aguinaldo College in an overtime thriller, while La Salle Green Hills and Arellano University eked out victories in their respective matchups to close out opening day of the NCAA Season 100 Juniors Basketball Tournament, Monday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
The three schools joined defending champion Colegeio de San Juan de Letran and last season’s runner-up University of Perpetual Help System DALTA for the early lead in this single round robin tournament.
The Red Cubs leaned on Andrei Ugaddan’s 16 points and seven rebounds, while Francis Dollente and Randaile Medroso chipped in 13 and 11 markers, respectively, both securing eight boards.
But it was MJ Vailoces who delivered the game-winning moment, driving through the lane and scoring over EAC’s EJ Castillo with 2.3 seconds remaining to ice a 77-75 win in overtime.
“Very close game, closer than we wanted it to be. It’s a wake-up call for us, first game ganito. Sobrang out of character ‘yung laro namin today na we’re not sharing the ball,” said San Beda head coach Miko Roldan.
La Salle Green Hills, meanwhile, survived a tight battle against San Sebastian, escaping with an 82-79 victory.
Guillan Quines led the Greenies with 22 points, four rebounds, four steals, and three assists, while James Ison tallied 20 markers on 53.8-percent shooting with six assists.
Gian Gomez added 13 points, while Ram Sharma, younger brother of Akari Chargers’ middle blocker Fifi, nearly had a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Despite a strong 17-5 start, the Greenies found themselves down by 12, 48-60, late in the third quarter.
They clawed back to within four, 64-68, entering the final period and deployed a full-court press to rattle the Staglets.
With the game tied at 73 at the 3:02 mark, the Renren Ritualo-mentored squad kept its composure, with a clutch free throw from Ison sealing the win.
Arellano, on the other hand, pulled off a statement win against Jose Rizal University, 85-69, already matching its total wins from Season 99.
“As a new coach sa NCAA, alam ko grabe yung pressure, pero kailangan labanan ko yung pressure na ‘yan. Pero nag-stick pa rin kami sa system na ginagawa namin,” said newly appointed Braves head coach Jun Cuevas.
The Braves started slow, trailing 12-20 late in the first quarter, but turned things around with a dominant second frame, outscoring the Light Bombers 24-12.
They extended their lead to as much as 24 points, 85-61, after a Kint Aurita layup with 1:19 remaining.
Ray Yusi and Shawn Vergara led Arellano with 15 points each, while Sean Franco had 12 points and eight rebounds. Denver Baluyot also added 10 markers.
EAC’s Ian Cuajao posted the highest-scoring output of the tournament so far with 31 points, including five three-pointers, along with 10 rebounds.
Castillo added 17 markers in the Brigadiers’ tough loss.
JRU’s James Almario delivered 18 points and 13 rebounds despite his team’s struggles. CJ Satparam added 10 points, while Neil Abequibel facilitated the offense with 11 assists and eight points.
San Sebastian’s Sanlea Penaverde led the Staglets with 22 points and four rebounds, while Kit Bonus scored 20 but struggled with turnovers, committing seven of the team’s 29 giveaways.
The Scores:
Third Game
AU 85 – Yusi 15, Vergara 15, Franco 12, Baluyot 10, Mendoza 9, Ladica 8, Aurita 4, Manansala 3, Distrito 3, Pillas 2, Guiral 2, Tagorda 2, Dy 0, Pangilinan 0, Pascual 0.
JRU 69 – Almario 18, Satparam 10, Abequibel 8, Pinzon 8, Castillo 7, Marin 6, Tolworthy 6, Callueng 3, Quillban 2, Ferrer 1, To 0, Correa 0, Lacusong 0, Taparan 0.
Quarterscores: 17-20, 41-32, 64-46, 85-69.
Fourth Game
LSGH 82 – Quines 22, Ison 20, Gomez 13, Sharma 10, Podador 7, Abad 5, Yutuc 1, Ortega 1, Peralta 0, Osis 0, Gonzales 0, Tud 0.
SSCR 79 – Penaverde 22, Bonus 20, Jimenez 13, Marasigan 10, Ynot 7, Herrera 5, Apostol 1, Casan 1, Rodriguez 0, Rosales 0, Melano 0, Gunting 0.
Quarterscores: 22-14, 34-44, 57-66, 82-79.
Fifth Game
SBU 77 – Ugaddan 16, Dollente 13, Medroso 11, Batongbakal 9, Vailoces 9, Reroma 5, Juan 5, Winters 4, Garcia 3, Wagan 2, Jomalesa 0, Feliciano 0, Mondigo 0.
EAC-ICA 75 – Cuajao 31, Castillo 17, Bonus 8, Coronel 8, Luna 4, Lanceta 2, Lumbo 2, Jawali 2, Iraham 1, Bautista 0, Canonigo 0, Campana 0, Taganas 0, Razo 0.
Quarterscores: 23-23, 37-37, 57-51, 68-68, 77-75.
