Lions target 9th ‘NC’ title
face Chiefs in Game Two of playoff series
Games today 1 p.m. – San Beda vs Mapua (Jrs) 3:45 p.m. – San Beda vs Arellano U (Srs)
San Beda seeks to finish off Jio Jalalon and Arellano U in Game Two of the NCAA men’s basketball finals today and re-stake its claim as the most dominant team in the league the last 11 years.
Behind Robert Bolick, Dan Sara and Benedict Adamos’ clutch efforts, the Lions brought down the Chiefs, 88-85, in Thursday’s opener of their best-of-three series, moving a win away from nailing their ninth championship in the last 11 seasons.
Unless Jalalon and the Chiefs find a way to neutralize the Lions, the Mendiola-based school could be on its way to redeeming itself from last year’s Game 3 Finals defeat to Letran and claiming a league-best 20th crown overall.
Game time is at 3:45 p.m. at the MOA Arena in Pasay.
“We just want redemption,” said San Beda coach Jamike Jarin.
Bolick emerged the biggest hero in Game One, providing not only the firepower (24 points) but also the defensive spunk, clamping down on the high-scoring Jalalon in the fourth quarter.
Sara, the team captain, barely missed completing a triple-double effort with a team- best 13 rebounds, 11 assists and six points while the 6-6 Adamos, a 20-yearold rookie transferee from Legaspi, Albay, took care of the middle and finished with 16 points, seven boards and a shot block.
But Jarin said they expect the Chiefs to bounce back strong and try to force a decider.
“We expect them to make the adjustments and we just hope to be ready for whatever they’re planning to do,” said Jarin.
Jalalon vowed to rebound strong after his Game One lapses.
“I’m going to give everything to help my team win Game Two, that’s a promise,” said Jalalon.
For Arellano mentor Jerry Codiñera, his team needs to play like one to stay alive.
“We relied more on individual plays in Game One. we need to stick together and play as a team in Game Two for us to have a chance,” he said.