Colegio de San Juan de Letran ended a wild and wooly NCAA Season 98 seniors basketball tournament with a historic second grand slam and 19th title, demolishing De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde in Game Three of the Finals, 81-67, Sunday, in Antipolo City.
Playing without graduating team captain Fran Yu due to a suspension, the Knights from Intramuros relied heavily on the offensive explosion of King Caralipio and returning big man Kobe Monje in a torrid 27-12 barrage in the second quarter.
The Knights led by as much as 21 midway in the pivotal canto and never looked back, shooting 58 per cent from the field in the first half.
In addition, they frustrated any attempts at a late rally by the Blazers, who managed to trim the lead by 11 midway in the fourth quarter.
The Blazers, however, bricked numerous open triples while spitfire Brent Paraiso sank their shots in the second half to sustain the Knights’ excellence.
The Blazers shot a paltry 25 per cent from three points while the Knights lorded the shaded area with 44 points from inside stabs against Saint Benilde’s 20.
It did not help that season Most Valuable Player (MVP) Will Gozum was booked with a disqualifying foul into the last two minutes after a headbutt on Paolo Javillonar—ending the highly physical and controversial series with a third expulsion in as many games in the series.
In Game Two, Yu was ejected in the second quarter after a deliberate elbow on the face of Mark Sangco while in Game One, Monje was booted out after a planting a foot on the landing spot of a shooting Migs Oczon, who suffered a sprained ankle in the second quarter, failing to come back in the game.
“Nag-usap-usap kami na kapag game three, wala nang sisihan, tulong-tulong na lang,” said Caralipio, who led the game with 20 points and 10 rebounds and was named Finals MVP with a series average of 15 points and eight rebounds.
Paraiso helped Caralipio with 16 points while seldom-used Monje scored a career-high 11 points.
“We’ve got a depleted lineup and with our coaches, nagawan namin ng solusyon,” said Letran coach Bonnie Tan, who won his third NCAA title in as many years as the Knights’ mentor.
Power forward Miguel Corteza led the Blazers with 14 points and seven rebounds while Gozum and James Pasturan added ten points each.
The Knights, previously led by current Korean League standout Rhenz Abando, previously won the crown in Season 97 last May and won their first of three in Season 95 back in 2019, the last season before the COVID-19 pandemic suspension of Season 96.
They have first won the three-peat from 1982 to 1984 in a squad led by the legendary Samboy Lim.
The Blazers, on the other hand, entered the Finals for the first time since 2002 and previously won their lone seniors basketball championship since the year 2000.
This season’s championship run ended a three-month tournament marked with numerous suspensions due to violence, highlighted by John Amores’ outburst against the Blazers in their second round elimination game in November; unexplained team suspensions of key players from Emilio Aguinaldo College and University of Perpetual Help; the season-long suspension of Mapua Cardinal Gab Gamboa due to ineligibility; and COVID-19 outbreaks in the Jose Rizal University and San Sebastian College-Recoletos teams resulting in numerous postponed games in October.
The scores
Letran 81 – Caralipio 20, Paraiso 16, Monje 11, Reyson 8, Sangalang, 8, Santos 7, Olivario 4, Go 4, Guarinio 2, Javillonar 1, Tolentino 0, Bojorcelo 0.
St. Benilde 67 – Corteza 14, Pasturan 10, Gozum 10, Oczon 9, Sangco 6, Nayve 6, Flores 5, Marcos 3, Cullar 2, Carlos 2, Davis 0
Quarter scores: 24-21, 51-33, 70-54, 81-67
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