Garcia fires 18 for Benilde; King scores 20 for EAC

Diego de la Paz | FCF

De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde and Emilio Aguinaldo College relied on unlikely scorers and found themselves tied at sixth place following Saturday’s NCAA Season 89 seniors basketball doubleheader at The Arena in San Juan City.

In the first game, the Blazers smashed the Mapua Institute of Technology Cardinals, 84-64, anchored on a 24-12 second quarter explosion and a 25-12 fourth quarter blitz en route to their third straight win.

Seldom-used forward Dexter Garcia, who erstwhile normed a per game average of two points, exploded for 18 points which included a seven-point output from the 6:56 to the 4:52 mark of the fourth quarter.

Garcia’s scoring blitz was followed by six straight points by Blazer star guard Paolo Taha in the final three minutes of the game as Benilde negated a comeback attempt by the Cardinals. Taha led the Blazers with 24 points, 11 rebounds, three steals, and an impressive 10-13 field goal shooting.

Prior to Benilde’s scoring run, the Cardinals managed to trim a once 16-point deficit in the third quarter to four, 57-61, via a dipsy-doo lay-up Darrel Magsigay but that shot proved to be the last shining moment of Mapua in the game. They were led by Carlos Isit with 15 points and Kenneth Ighalo with five points and 13 rebounds.

“Ginawa ko lang ang part ko that is, to play tough defense, hustle, and execute plays kaya lumabas ang laro ko. I jut followed yung instructions ni coach,” Garcia said after the game.

“We were all over the court,” commented Blazers head coach Gabby Velasco. “We had a high level of intensity and a high level of energy and with that, we force Mapua to take bad shots especially in the fourth quarter.”

In the second game, the Generals charged for a 79-63 manhandling of the Arellano University Chiefs via Igee King’s emergence.

The game was tight for both squads in the first third quarters as the Chiefs dictated most parts of the game, even erecting a 12-point lead, 27-15, early in the second quarter.

To counter the Chiefs steady game, EAC commanded an 8-0 run off a fullcourt trapping defense as they tied the game for only a second time at 42-42 after a steal and lay-up by King.

EAC center Cedric Noube Happi then dominated the shaded lane for 10 points in the quarter as the Generals led, 51-45, but a 5-0 run off a Donald Gumaru trey and a Nichole Bangga inside stab ended the quarter, 51-50.

In the final quarter, King went amok, scoring eight early points off fastbreak lay-ups and hard drives to the basket. King finished the game with a season-high 20 points and added four assists.

“That’s the way Igee plays and that’s the Igee King I’ve been looking for,” commented EAC head coach Gerry Esplana on his prized ward.

The Generals then mounted an 11-0 run coming to the last two minutes as their lead ballooned to 14, which was never trimmed down in the remainder of the game.

“Sabi ko sa kanila nung halftime, let’s make it simple… let’s make some stops and let’s run and score from our defense,” said EAC coach Gerry Esplana in reference to their halftime huddle.

Esplana’s instructions bore fruit as the Generals forced the Chiefs to commit 34 turnovers throughout the game and scored 24 points off the errors of their foes.

Prince Caperal and John Pinto, who despite leading their team in scoring, rebounding, and passing committed a combined 12 turnovers. Caperal tallied 16 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks while Pinto had six points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists for the 2-6 Chiefs.

After the game, both squads figured in a near melee which involved Arellano’s James Forrester and Zach Nicholls and EAC’s Edsel Saludo and Sidney Onwubere.

The Blazers and the Generals are now at 3-5 for a tie of sixth place while the Cardinals and the Chiefs further went down the cellar at 1-7 and 2-6, respectively.