Jr. Altas force winner-take-all vs Squires

Game Saturday (Filoil EcoOil Arena) 9:30 a.m. – Letran vs UPHSD

All heart. That was how University of Perpetual Help coach Johp Cleopas described the Jr. Altas’ gut-wrenching 91-90 victory over Letran yesterday to force a rubber match in the NCAA Season 99 juniors basketball tournament at the packed Filoil EcoOil Arena yesterday.

UPHSD erased a 19-point second-quarter deficit as the Jr. Altas found a way to stop Moses Manalili and Letran’s high-octane offense while relying on Jan Pagulayan and Amiel Acido when it mattered.

Pagulayan exploded for 23 points while Acido resurrected from the dead and unleashed 14 of his 19 points in the second quarter including a thunderous three-pointer with 52 seconds to go that turned out the game winner.

“Puso na lang ‘yung kanina,” said Cleopas. The Squires had all the opportunities to wrap it all up but they blew a mammoth 19-point lead and then couldn’t connect on three crucial free throws – one by Alex Gazzingan and the other two from June Silorio – in the dying seconds that hastened their doom.

Silorio, a native of Marbel, paced Letran with 20 points and had a chance to clinch the match and the series as he was sent to the foul line with five seconds to go.

But he turned from hero to goat after muffing both.

And the Jr. Altas stayed alive with a chance to steal the championship in a no-tomorrow contest on Saturday. There, UPHSD will have a chance at bringing home the hardware that has eluded them all these years.

“Laban lang ulet kami sa Game Three,” said Acido, who was named MVP earlier.