Colegio de San Juan de Letran proved that its unpredictable game, dubbed as “House of Chaos,” is sustainable in a long and dragging season, as the Intramuros-based squad will aim for banner number 17 by entering the finals of the NCAA seniors basketball tournament with 91-90 nipping of backyard rival Mapua Institute of Techonology, 91-90, Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Main men Mark Cruz and Kevin Racal, took on the charge against the speedy Cardinals, having their championship experience as their biggest advantage despite their lack of size.
But it was their sidekicks Jom Sollano and JP Calvo who have played excellently in all the minutes they spent on the floor, with the former scoring a career high 16 points while the latter sank four crucial free throws down the stretch.
Sollano, a small center at 6’4”, held his own against the 6’10” Allwell Oraeme, spreading his scoring to eight points for each half he played.
Calvo then cooly swished four free throws with three minutes left, which were instrumental in building an 85-81 lead for Letran. He also blanked the fiery Exequiel Biteng, who led Mapua with 17 points, in the final period as the Cardinals went exclusively to Josan Nimes in the quarter.
Cruz and Racal led the scoring charge for the Knights, with the former scoring 13 points in the third quarter and latter, nine points in the fourth period. They finished the game with 24 points and 19 points, respectively.
“This is the fruit of all of our labor throughout the season. We just stuck with the system and believed in our coaching staff,” Cruz, who will suit up for the Purefoods Star Hotshot team in the PBA, said after the game.
Luck was also on Letran’s side when the Cardinals clanked out two triples with a minute to go, which demoralized Mapua.
The first miss was from Biteng, who rattled out a triple from the corner when Mapua was down, 85-88.
Mapua regained the possession but a bad pass by Nimes to Oraeme resulted in a turnover.
Cruz then missed two free throws off a foul but Mapua muffed its second chance to tie the game when CJ Isit rattled out another trey.
Isit finally sank a triple to trim the lead, 90-91, but it was for a lost cause as time ran out for the Cardinals.
Letran will try to win its first championship since 2005 and in their fourth try since 2007.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, will exit the season at third place—a huge improvement after finishing at last place for the past two seasons.
