San Beda College arranged another date against rival school Colegio de San Juan de Letran in the Finals of the NCAA seniors basketball tournamentl with the Red Lions defeating Jose Rizal University (JRU) Heavy Bombers, 78-68, in the second semifinals game on Tuesday, October 20, at the Mall of Asia arena.
This is the tenth straight appearance of the Red Lions in the finals of NCAA seniors basketball, earning a shot for an unprecedented six peat.
“This season, people criticized me for playing too much [men] every game. I think everybody is not going to criticize me anymore as the bench delivered,” coach Jamike Jarin said in the post game interview, referring to his decision to bench his usual starting five for majority of the second half.
IN PHOTOS: San Beda beats JRU, books duel for 6th straight NCAA title against Letran
Leading the Red and White army was point guard Baser Amer with 11 points, five rebounds, and two assists, but it was the young guns like Roldan Sara (11 points), AC Soberano (10 points), Donald Tankoua (10 points), and Ranbill Tongco (four crucial points in the fourth quarter) who erected San Beda’s insurmountable lead in the fourth quarter.
In the third quarter, Soberano played tremendously by making two consecutive shots from downtown, reviving a seemingly dead San Beda offense, who were then down, 40-48, in the quarter.
Entering the game tied with their opponent at 56 after a triple by Darius Estrella to open the final period, the Red Lions created a significant cushion with back-to-back and-one plays by Tankoua and Sara.
First was Sara’s hook shot against a JRU double team at the 8:34 mark, followed by Sara’s easy layup off a Tongco assist, drawing an unnecessary foul from his defender.
Both teams traded baskets thereafter but the Heavy Bombers foiled there chances with numerous misses from their usual scorers Teytey Teodoro and Paolo Pontejos, who scored eight and five points, respectively.
The graduating Marco Balagtas scored ten of his season high 14 points in the fourth quarter and Abdoul Poutouchi had 12 points and eight boards to lead the way for the Heavy Bombers.
“I would like to congratulate coach Vergel Meneses for a well-run season because they were two games away into the finals. Credit goes to Vergel,” Jarin said.
After their devastating loss, the Kalentong-based squad still gave the people a great show by being in the semifinals for two consecutive years despite being regarded as a middle-tier team.
The clash between the Lions and Knights will begin on October 23 at the Mall of Asia Arena
IN PHOTOS: San Beda beats JRU, books duel for 6th straight NCAA title against Letran
Scores:
San Beda (78) – Amer 11, Sara 11 Soberano 10, Tankoua 10, Mocon 8, Sorela 7, Adeogun 5, Dela Cruz 5, Tongco 4, Koga 3, Reyes 2, Presibitero 2, Cabañag 0, Bonsubre 0, Sedillo 0.
JRU (68) – Balagtas 14, Poutouchi 12, Teodoro 9, Dela Paz 8, Estrella 8, Astilla 6, Pontejos 5, Abdul Wahab 3, Lasquety 2, Sanchez 0, Grospe 0.
Quarter scores: 17-19, 30-32, 56-53, 78-68.
