PART 2: Pirates vs Lions sa Finals
MAGKAIBA ang kinasadlakan ng San Beda at Lyceum sa pagtatapos ng elimination round. Ngunit, sa huli, ang Pirates at Red Lions pa rin ang maghaharap sa championship match ng NCAA Season 94 seniors basketball tournament.
Nanaig kapwa – taglay ang ‘twice-ot-beat’ advantage – sa kanikanilang final Four duel ang San Beda at Lyceum upang maisaayos ang best-of-three championship series. Sa pagkakataong ito, nasa panig ng Pirates ang marubdob na paghihiganti.
Sa ika-13 sunod na season, sasabak sa championship ang Red Lions matapos ngatain ang kontrobersyal na Perpetual Help Altas, 83-72, nitong Biyernes sa semifinal match-up sa filoil Flying V Arena.
Nauna rito, magaan ding pinasuko ng Pirates ang Letran Knights, 109-85, para muling makarating sa Final sa ikalawang sunod na season.
Matikas na winalis ng Lyceum ang double-round elimination sa nakalipas na taon, ngunit binigo sila ng San Beda sa Finals.
“Ito na ang tamang panahon para makabawi,” pahayag ni last year MVP CJ Perez. “Talagang ang sakit sa amin nang nangyari, pero sabi nga nila, move on at talagang nmaghanda kami para sa pagkakataong ito,” aniya.
Hataw si Perez sa naiskor na 19 puntos at limang rebounds, habang kumana si Mike Nzeusseu ng 23 puntos at 17 rebounds para sa Pirates.
“Maganda itong laban. Kung sakali para itong heavyweight title fight,” pahayag ni San Beda star Robert Bolick.
Ratsada si Bolick sa naiskor na 23 puntos at anim na assists, habang kumana si JV Mocon ng 14 puntos at 15 rebounds at kumubra si Donald Tankoua ng 13 puntos at 18 rebounds. ua ng 13 puntos at 18 rebounds. “First of all, I would like to congratulate coach Frankie, the Altas, and the Perpetual community for a very good game. First half, we were missing our shots. But as I have said, with AC and Robert taking good care of our point guard position, we made shots in the third quarter,” pahayag ni San Beda head coach Boyet Fernandez.
“But again, it's not yet over. We still have a title to defend against Lyceum. All my players did a good job today,” aniya.
Determinado naman ang Lyceum na umabante sa mahigit 14 puntos sa third period bago selyuhan ang panalo sa mainit na outside shooting at allaround game ni Perez.
“They are a well-coached team. We had to made sure to have them out of their comfort zone. And we did it by bringing CJ off the bench. What's important for us is we have to dictate the tempo. These kids are really driven not only for the school but for everyone who supports us,” pahayag ni Lyceum coach Topex Robinson
“We will never be surprised if they catch up. What's important for us is to stick to the agenda. The agenda is winning the game. We stuck to the purpose and we stuck together. It's really a blessing to be in the finals,” aniya.
Iskor: (Unang Laro)
LPU (109) — Nzeusseu 23, Perez 19, Marcelino JC 15, Pretta 15, Ayaay 11, Santos 9, Caduyac 8, Tansingco 3, Ibanez 2, Serrano 2, Yong 2, Cinco 0, Lumbao 0, Marcelino JV 0, Valdez 0
CSJL (85) — Muyang 21, Quinto 12, Fajarito 11, Taladua 10, Ambohot 9, Calvo 9, Batiller 6, Celis 4, Galvelo 3, Agbong 0, Mandreza 0, Yu 0, Pambid 0 Quarters: 29-16, 51-47, 81-64, 10985
(Ikalawang Laro)
SAN BEDA (83) – Bolick 23, Mocon 14, Tankoua 13, Soberano 12, Cabanag 9, Eugene 5, Canlas 4, Presbitero 3, Oftana 0, Abuda 0, Doliguez 0, Nelle 0
UPHSD (72) – Razon 16, Peralta 16, Eze 13, Charcos 12, Aurin 7, Coronel 5, Jimenez 3, Cuevas 0
Quarters: 13-11, 27-24, 53-48, 8372