Raffy Dela Peña | FCF
Despite the storm surrounding San Beda College in the past week, the three-time defending champions remain unfazed and still dominated.
The Red Lions survived Perpetual Help’s highly physical play to come out on top, 70-51, in the other half of Thursday’s NCAA Season 89 seniors basketball Final Four at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Behind the double-double performances of Ola Adeogun and Arthur De La Cruz, they book an epic rematch of last year’s title showdown with Letran College in their eighth straight Finals appearance since 2006.
The Nigerian behemoth Adeogun scored 11 points with 11 rebounds, while De La Cruz posted 11 points with 14 rebounds.
In the first three quarters, neither team gave way and exchanged leads no larger than five points. But early in the fourth quarter, the Red Lions completed a 16-2 run through a concerted effort from Adeogun and De La Cruz to finally bury the Altas.
“It’s the playoffs. I know they’re not going to give us (the win) that easy. It’s a do-or-die game for them, so they gave all their fight in the first half. But we stayed in there. Even if our offensive game wasn’t there, our defense was keeping us (in the game),” said Adeogun.
MORE: Pro-bound Almazan explodes as Letran re-enters NCAA finals
“(Perpetual Help) really prepared well against us, they have success (against us) in the first half,” said San Beda head coach Boyet Fernandez. “But again, when we went out after halftime, my players went out of the dugout and saying ‘Coach, we’ll get back on (sic) them and we’re gonna win this ballgame.”
“True to their word, they stepped up.”
Fernandez intimated to Fullcourtfresh.com that a team building sponsored by head benefactor Manny V. Pangilinan immediately following their elimination round-ending match against Arellano University aided the squad in keeping their focus through the controversial allegations surrounding Ryusei Koga’s involvement in an outside league during the NCAA tournament that has hounded the team.
“(Pangilinan) called the team and offered for a team-building after the game against Arellano, and it really bonded the team. It all started the preparation, the mental aspect, and everything,” he said.
Leading the pack for Perpetual Help in a losing effort was Justin Alano with 12 points. Leading rookie of the year candidate Juneric Baloria struggled to find his form, finishing with just six points and missed all of his seven shots from the field.
San Beda and Letran begin their best-of-three title showdown on Monday, 2:30pm at the Mall of Asia Arena.
MORE: Pro-bound Almazan explodes as Letran re-enters NCAA finals
