Letran started their season with their players laughing at their coach, saying they cannot make it to the final four.
It turned out to be that the joke was on them, as the wide-eyed underdogs from Intramuros battled endgame jitters, confidently sinking long shots against their much taller, much meaner, and much experienced foes.
Colegio de San Juan de Letran, under the helm of nondescript head coach Aldin Ayo, finally ended a decade of heartbreak, winning the NCAA Season 91 seniors basketball championship with an 85-82 overtime win against archrivals San Beda College Thursday at the San Juan Arena.
Sticking to their notorious mayhem defense to the very end, the Knights, playing without foreign reinforcement, with their tallest player at 6’6″, proved to all doubters that they can bounce back from a season of mediocrity to a season of glory.
IN PHOTOS: Letran ends San Beda dynasty, grabs NCAA 91 championship
“Enough of the pain! Now is our time!” an ecstatic Ayo, a former champion Letranite in the late ’90s, exclaimed after the game.
It was a long way for the Knights, not only for the season, but for game three of the finals.
Playing a see-saw battle in the second quarter after erecting a 20-12 first quarter lead, Letran set up plays for center Jom Sollano, who thrived from 15 feet, sinking all but three of his shots in the game.
His nemesis, Javee Mocon, engaged in a war of attrition against his counterpart, helping his senior teammates with putbacks and hustle points as he scored nine points in the third quarter.
Holding a precarious two point lead, 54-52, coming to the fourth quarter, Letran rolled the dice, throwing three-pointers and making them, as Mark Cruz and Kevin Racal fired five triples for a 75-67 lead entering the last two minutes.
All seemed lost for the Red Lions, but Baser Amer, already pro-bound but full of pride, pounced on his teammates and inspired an 8-0 run to end the quarter and send the game to overtime at 75-75.
The run started with Arthur de la Cruz’s hook shot, then a fastbreak layup by Amer off a steal.
With Letran stymied by San Beda’s pressing defense, Amer then found Ola Adeogun free underneath the basket for an easy layup.
IN PHOTOS: Letran ends San Beda dynasty, grabs NCAA 91 championship
The graduating guard, a finals MVP in 2013, then grabbed the ball from Mcjour Luib off a tap from Mocon to tie the game with an uncontested fastbreak layup.
Amer was still splendid in overtime, finding Adeogun again for an easy layup then sinking a teardrop shot against the defense of Sollano for an 82-79 lead in the 1:28 mark.
Unfazed, Racal went for a hard drive, drew a foul from Adeogun, and swished his free throws for an 81-82 deficit.
The Knights then played zone, and the Red Lions burnt too much time as they committed a 24 second violation with 45 seconds left.
Holding possession, Cruz went for a drive off Sollano’s pick. Sollano then slid to the side and received Cruz’s pass, as the sweet shooting big man sank a 15-footer for an 83-82 lead.
Everything was chaotic for San Beda in the last 30 seconds. Amer missed on a drive and Dela Cruz could not make a putback.
With six seconds left, San Beda fouled Sollano. After sinking his first free throw, Letran held possession anew when the possession arrow pointed at them after Sollano’s miss in his second try, leading to a double lane violation committed by Racal and dela Cruz.
Cruz then split his free throws from San Beda’s obligatory foul and with three seconds left, power forward Michole Sorela muffed his halfcourt heave as the confetti fell for the Knights.
IN PHOTOS: Letran ends San Beda dynasty, grabs NCAA 91 championship
Cruz, named finals’ most valuable player and tallying 14 points and seven assists in the game, refused to take credit for the championship.
“This is because of our coach, we believed in our coach,” he said.
Racal led the Knights anew in scoring with 23 points and five triples while Sollano played his best game in his rookie year with 19 points off a 9-of-12 shooting clip, seven rebounds, and the winning basket.
Nambatac also played big, scoring 13 points after a scoreless game two, and limiting dela Cruz to only three points in the second half.
Letran’s championship marks the end of San Beda’s five year reign since 2010. Their graduating players led them with dela Cruz (15 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists), Amer (14 points, 7 assists), and Adeogun (13 points, 10 rebounds) finishing their collegiate stint on a sour note.
The future is bright though for San Beda as Mocon, who tallied 14 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks, is expected to lead the team next year.
IN PHOTOS: Letran ends San Beda dynasty, grabs NCAA 91 championship
