On Day 1 last November 6, coach Leo Austria’s troops silenced a raucous Cebu Coliseum crowd by edging CESAFI runner-up University of Cebu, 78-72. With the San Marcelino five up by just three with 27 ticks left in the game, Rookie and Laguna native Roider Cabrera buried a crucial triple that put some separation between his squad and UC. Jan Colina, ironically a one-time CESAFI juniors Most Valuable Player for University of Cebu, and Eric Camson paced the Falcons with 14 points apiece.

The next day, the Falcons took the floor against CESAFI fourth-placer University of San Jose-Recoletos with the same mindset and rightfully so, a similar outcome. This time, it was Aldrin Margallo, a swingman in his final season with the Falcons, and Janus Lozada who did much of the damage, tallying 15 points apiece to slay their second straight CESAFI opponent. USJ-R had a difficult time setting up their offensive schemes, as evidenced by lead gunman Edwin Bibera’s five-point output. Instead, teammate Jemar dela Peña took over the scoring cudgels for the Jaguars, pacing them with 18 points. Marksman Aniceto Lapiz added 16 in a losing cause.

Meanwhile, an upset of sorts caught the public eye as NAASCU back-to-back defending champions San Sebsatian College-Recoletos de Cavite outlasted sister school University of San Jose-Recoletos in the first game of Day 1 action, 86-77. NAASCU MVP Jun Gracilla and sidekick Kris Lucernas supplied all the ammo in a game that went down the wire. With the Baycats on top, 73-69 midway through the final quarter, USJ-R’s Jemar dela Peña and Edwin Bibera scored a bundle of points to help the Jags reclaim the lead, 74-73.

Mark Basa, a second-string forward for coach Egay Macaraya’s squad, proved to be the hero as he scored four pivotal points to counter the Jaguar run. Raymond Alcasabas and Lyle Antipuesto then put the finishing touches on USJ-R.

In the Baycats’ next game, however, they faced a literal brick wall as 6′9 Junmar Fajardo gave his opponents fits on the offensive end. That proved to be the difference as UC lived yet another day thanks to an 84-76 triumph.

After two playdates, Adamson leads the field with a 2-0 mark. UC and SSC-R Cavite are both tied at 1-1, with USJ-R already out of contention at 0-2. An Adamson win over SSC-R Cavite and UC triumph over San Jose-Recoletos would book their Sweet 16 tickets. However, a three-way logjam could ensue if Adamson loses and the Webmasters defeat the Jaguars. Should that occur, a quotient system will be applied. The top two teams adavance to the Sweet 16.

Needing a win to keep alive its round of 16 hopes, host WNU failed to break down a tough-as-nails Arellano five as it bowed out of contention, 79-67. After a tight first half, the Chiefs broke the game open in the third period, outscoring the Mustangs, 24-15. Big man and NCAA Mythical Five member Gio Ciriacruz, in his last year for the Legarda outfit, led a balanced offensive attack with 17 points, with Andrian Celada scoring 15 to tow the undefeated Chiefs.

It was a disappointing evening for WNU, who finished its campaign with a 1-2 slate. Alfie Villariza waxed hot with 30 markers, but it proved to be futile as the Mustangs will be missing out on the Sweet 16 for the second straight year despite capturing the NOPSSCEA crown for the 11th consecutive season. Rolly Jaca and Jeff Jacinto, WNU’s usual suspects, were held to a combined three points as well by Arellano’s stifling defense.

Joining the Chiefs in the knockout round are the USC Warriors, who romped past Mindanao regional titlists Holy Trinity College, 86-63. One-time Philippine Christian University forward Sam Hermosa led the Warriors’ onslaught with 13 points, while Marvin Duran chipped in with 11. HTC failed to win a single game in the Bacolod zonal after a spirited display in the regionals, which included wins over more fancied opponents such as Ateneo de Davao University and Cagayan de Oro Colleges.

Meanwhile, action shifts to the Cebu zonals as CESAFI runner-up University of Cebu, UAAP fifth-placer Adamson University, two-time defending NAASCU champion San Sebastian College-Recoletos de Cavite and CESAFI fourth-placer University of San Jose-Recoletos do battle in a round-robin format for two more tickets to the Sweet 16.

The Scores:

First Game

USC 86 – Hermosa 13, Duran 11, Padayao 8, Bercede 7, Padillo 6, Panerio 5, Bakker 5, Cantonao 5, Otida 5, Codilla 4, Vitug 2, Joven 2.

HTC 63 – Desaville 21, Pragados 17, de Mesa 8, Versoza 4, Masana 4, Lamanilao 3, Landicho 2, Roxas 2.

Quarter scores: 24-7, 41-28, 65-47, 86-63.

Second Game

Arellano 79 – G. Ciriacruz 17, Celada 15, Rivera 8, Agustin 8, I. Ciriacruz 6, Tayongtong 6, Reducto 6, Virtudazo 4, Apostol 3, Anquilo 3, Miranda 3, Catapang 0.

WNU 67 – Villariza 30, Suyod 16, Dapar 6, Lauron 5, Jaca 2, Sumido 2, Jacinto 1, Catalino 0.

Quarter scores: 21-17, 34-27, 58-42, 79-67.

In 2004, I, together with our current columnists Mike Abasolo and Sid Ventura, as well as our former columnist Kim Lesaca, was a writer for the now-defunct website www.uaapgames.com. One of my thrusts then was to make the current UAAP fans more familiar with the players and occurrences in the UAAP from yesteryear. I spoke to several former players/stars and inquired whether they were willing to allow me to write about them, their careers and their current lives. Most declined. But one was very enthusiastic and tremendously helpful – former Ateneo Blue Eagles center Danny Francisco. Thus, with due permission from Danny, and with the blessing of my colleagues here on our site, I am republishing the article I wrote, which consists of two parts. Danny helped me update it a little. In reading this, do take note that Danny gave most of his views during UAAP Season 67, just before the Ateneo Blue Eagles had a playoff game against De La Salle University on 14 September 2004 and before DLSU finally eliminated Ateneo on 19 September 2004.

In the late 1980s, Ateneo de Manila University was a dominant team in the UAAP Seniors’ basketball tournament. In 1987 and 1988, the Blue Eagles stamped their legacy by winning back-to-back titles against the Jerry Codiñera-led University of the East Warriors and the Dindo Pumaren-led De La Salle Green Archers, respectively. In the middle of the successful equation that Ateneo had at the time, was a character who was truly a center of attention, towering at the hub of the Ateneo huddle. At six feet and six inches tall, Daniel Tirona Francisco, “Danny”, as he is more familiarly known, had a unique viewpoint, which not many, especially during that time, enjoyed.

Touted as the next Ramon Fernandez, who was then already a three-time Most Valuable Player of the Philippine Basketball Association and working on his fourth, even bigger things were in store for this towering package. Not only was his height an obvious advantage, but his ball-handling and shooting skills were exceptional, even unheard of in Philippine hoops history, from a man of such stature. Sixteen years (now twenty-one) after the back-to-back, the time is right to pay homage to one of the “forefathers”, so to speak, of the current Blue Eagles. Hereunder is a look at the life of Danny Francisco.

Born as the youngest in a brood of eight children on 21 April 1969, Danny had a lot of competition growing up, trying to fight his way up the pecking order in the Francisco household. As a boy, Danny initially took to swimming as a competitive sport, and actually competed at different age group levels. However, by the time he was in the third grade at Ateneo, the sports interest of Danny shifted to basketball, the sport wherein he would excel and which would bring him personal and team glory in the not-so-distant future.

Quickly assimilating himself into the rigors of basketball, Danny was on different Ateneo Grade School teams that competed in the popular tournaments such as PRADA and PAYA. Already he was a budding center, lacking in beef and brawn, but making up for it with determination and persistence.

Basketball success continued for Danny in High School, playing for the Blue Eaglets. The buzz around basketball circles at the time was that two potentially legendary centers were developing at about the same time – Danny and Venancio “Benjie” Paras of the San Beda Red Cubs, who was playing under UAAP Season 67 Commissioner Ato Badolato. While Benjie was out-muscling any other high school player that stepped in his path and slamming the ball through the basket on every play, Danny was knocking down lefty jumpers, spinning for hoops inside and making nifty passes to open teammates. Opening day of the MMBL tournament in 1985 at the Loyola Gym showcased the two centers against each other. Truly, the possible future pillars of Philippine basketball were the main attraction that afternoon.

The Ateneo High School career of Danny ended on a high note. In the 1986 UAAP season, the Blue Eaglets, guided by the steady hand of Chot Reyes, coach of Coca-Cola in the PBA in 2004, and now Talk N Text, and led by Danny in the middle, completed an amazing feat as they swept all fourteen of their games and were crowned outright champions of the Juniors’ tournament.

Observers of the UAAP Seniors’ tournament at the time could not help but get excited for the next season. Benjie Paras, who had gone on to play for the University of the Philippines Maroons a year earlier, had brought UP all the way to the Seniors’ tournament title as a freshman, over the league’s resident premier center, Jerry Codiñera of UE. Could Danny do the same? Codiñera was still around. Far Eastern University had the late Jack Tanuan as their man in the middle, the University of Santo Tomas had the late Gido Babilonia and La Salle had Dickie Bachmann and Joey Santamaria, all of whom would go on to play in the PBA. Truly, this was the time of the big men in a big man’s game. And now, Danny Francisco, erstwhile highly-regarded high school player was joining the fray as a member of the Ateneo Blue Eagles.

The year 1987 was a challenging one for Danny. The veteran UAAP centers pounded on him, testing him to see if the high school phenom could hack it in a men’s tournament. With the help of all his teammates, Danny held his ground and was impressive, albeit not dominant. The entire team, though, was a dominant force, with reliable starters and alternates at each position and a veteran coach in Cris Calilan. Ateneo would roll to the title against formidable UE, with Danny as a main contributor. Danny had ended his Juniors’ career and started his Seniors’ career on championship teams – a smooth transition indeed.

The following year, the Blue Eagles looked even more formidable. Danny calls the 1988 team “possibly the most complete (UAAP) team of all time.” Former Blue Eagle Fritz Gaston had taken the coaching reins from Calilan. Helping Danny out at center was future number one pick in the PBA Draft, Alex Araneta. At the forward slots were enforcer Seph Canlas and former La Salle Greenhills High School star Eric Reyes. Dr. Jet Nieto (yes, he is now a doctor) filled up the basket at the shooting guard spot and Jun Reyes, who was an Alaska Milk Assistant Coach in 2004, manned the point, with perennial PBA all-star Olsen Racela as the reliable back-up. The other steady players on the roster were utility men Gene Afable, Mel Basa, Albert Mendoza, Raymond Morales and Rico Santiago. From top to bottom, the team was stacked.

The 1988 pre-season prediction was that either Ateneo or La Salle would emerge as champion, although UP, UE and the University of Santo Tomas had something to say about that. But this prediction stirred the long-slumbering Ateneo-La Salle rivalry, and as the season progressed, the newly-awakened rivalry grew more intense as the two teams were on a collision course.

True enough, after hurdling all obstacles in their way and guided by Destiny, La Salle and Ateneo met in the finals of the 1988 UAAP season. The title-clinching game was truly a classic. Nip and tuck almost all the way, the big men of La Salle (Bachmann, Santamaria, George Peralta and freshman Zandro Limpot) battled Danny and the Ateneo frontline underneath, while Pumaren and Jun Reyes provided a splendid match-up at the one guard spot. Pumaren did all he could to keep La Salle in the game, but at the end, the powerful Blue Eagle team snatched the victory, capped by a slam dunk by Danny in the last few seconds of the game. In a dominant performance, Danny ended the game with fourteen points and twenty-four rebounds. The back-to-back was in the bag.

In 1989, Danny donned the national colors as the starting center of the Philippine Youth Team to the Asian Basketball Conference Youth Championships. Other notable players on the team were Racela, Limpot, Vergel Meneses, Victor Pablo, EJ Feihl, Johnedel Cardel, Romulo Orillosa, Jojo Lim, Joey Guanio and Mar Anthony Magada. China was bannered that year by the young Ma Jian and Song Li Gang. Although the Philippine team failed to win the crown, finishing third, Danny gave Ma Jian headaches. The possibilities for Danny seemed endless as he made a strong showing and even ended the tournament in the game for third place with a buzzer-beating heave from half court.

During the UAAP off-season in 1989, following his experience with the National Team, Danny had a short stint with Magnolia Ice Cream in the PABL (now PBL). Shortly thereafter, however, the life and basketball career of Danny would suffer a severe blow.

To be continued.

Letran is still the winningest team in the oldest Collegiate League in the land.  In the 90’s, they had three different coaches to lead them to three different championships including back to back titles, proof of a winning program plus the school’s dedication to winning.

Season 68

Letran Alum, former player and Head Coach Rudolph Hines captured the Season 68 title with a game 2 victory over San Sebastian, 94-85, with line up composed of Francis Arabit, Joven Banez, Eric Castillo, Gilbert Castillo, Carlito Espiritu, Gian Evidente, Paul Guerrero, Jovito Macatugal, Dennis Marcelo, James Milan, Efrain Soto, Wilmon Yu and Ronald Pena.

San Sebastian captured the 1st round.  Letran got the 2nd round after winning its playoff encounter over the Golden Stags thus forcing a best of three finals series.

Letran won game 1, 98-91, without injured Rodney Santos in the line up for San Sebastian.

Season 74

Rookie Coach Louie Alas had Aldin Ayo, Marlon Bernal, Christian Calaguio, Edgar Lee, Anthony Lim, Jason Misolas, William Moody, Paul Moreno, Jose Pacheco, John Prior, Allan Salangsang, Marcelino Soriano, Orlan Tama, Erwin Velez and Kerby Raymundo.  With a very promising young line up, Letran went 2-0 in the finals over San Sebastian and end its 5 year reign in the league.

Season 75

With Christian Calaguio no longer in the Knights line up, the team is practically intact to make another run for a back to back title.  Letran’s status this season - 4th place in the standings, has never won a match against Perpetual Help and Jose Rizal College and they have to win twice over league leader San Sebastian.

The probability of making it, very slim.  But Coach Binky Favis pulled off a squeaker by winning over the Heavy Bombers twice in the finals to capture the Season 75 title.  Kerby Raymundo garnered Defensive player of the Year, a Mythical Five inclusion and MVP honors all in the same year.

Next:  San Beda Red Lions

The Chiefs, who finished their maiden NCAA campaign with a respectable 8-10 record, put the cuffs on upstart Holy Trinity College, 108-47, before the Warriors staved off a late Mustang charge to pull off a 71-57 win before a hostile home crowd.

The Legarda unit put the game away early as it buried five triples in the opening quarter alone. High-wire act Jerry Miranda, who himself canned six three-point baskets, paced coach Junjie Ablan’s troops with 24 points. Isiah Ciriacruz and 5′1 playmaker Bimbot Anquilo each chipped in with 13 markers as Arellano eliminated the Wildcats, first-time entrants in the PCCL, from Sweet 16 contention.

In the second game, USC kept its own round-of-16 bid alive thanks to the stellar play of slotman Joven Cortes and ex-University of the Philippines Integrated School standout Jacques Bautista. The pair, who combined for just six points in the previous day’s loss to Arellano, had 26 points between them against WNU, 11-time defending NOPSSCEA champions.

USC led early and was able to withstand a West Negros charge, which was able to trim the Warrior lead to nine at the three-minute mark. However, the Cebuanos’ advantage was good enough to seal the victory. Captain ball Alfie Villariza led the Mustangs with 20 points. Also of note was the sub-par game of his teammate Jetric Sumido. After scoring 14 points against HTC yesterday, he hit blanks all game and failed to register a single marker.

The zonal’s final playdate will see the Warriors and Wildcats collide at 4:30 p.m., followed by Arellano and WNU’s matchup at 6 p.m on November 6. A Mustang loss, coupled with a Warrior win, will knock off the hosts from Sweet 16 play for the second straight year. The last time WNU reached that stage was in 2007, where it absorbed a defeat at the hands of Jose Rizal University.

The top two teams from this zonal advance to the round of 16.

The Scores:

First Game

Arellano 108 – Miranda 24, I. Ciriacruz 13, Anquilo 13, G. Ciriacruz 10, Catapang 10, Celada 9, Agustin 6, Apostol 4, Salcedo 4, Tayongtong 4, Reducto 4.

HTC 47 – Masaglang 10, Pragados 9, Roxas 7, Desaville 4, Versoza 3, de Mesa 3, Lamanilao 3, de Leon 2, Landricho 2, Masana 2, Esguerra 2.

Quarter scores: 23-8, 44-21, 73-41, 108-47.

Second Game

USC 71 – Cortes 14, Bautista 12, Padillo 10, Gallarde 7, Hermosa 7, Cantonao 6, Otida 4, Bakker 4, Panerio 3, Codilla 2, Padayao 2.

WNU 58 – Villariza 20, Jacinto 11, Jaca 9, Dapar 4, Suyod 4, Javelona 3, Lauron 2, Sumido 0, Agudelo 0, Merin 0.

Quarter scores: 17-16, 35-25, 54-43, 71-57.

The Mustangs, kings of Negros Occidental hoops, opened their campaign in front of their home crowd with a 93-77 victory over Mindanao champion Holy Trinity College Wildcats while the Chiefs, fifth placers in NCAA Season 85, survived upset-minded University of San Carlos, 79-74.

Veterans Alfie Villariza, Jeff Jacinto and Jetric Sumido finished in double-figures, combining for 43 of the 11-time Negros Occidental Private Sports, Cultural and Educational Association titlists’ point total. WNU head coach Troy Sarabia, however, was not pleased with the way his troops performed.

“We cannot expect to win if we play the way we did tonight,” he said. The Mustangs led by as many as 20 points, 69-49, in the third period through the exploits of Villariza, Jacinto, Rolly Jaca and Robert Lauron. The Wildcats, first-time participants in the tournament, embarked on a 21-8 run to trim the WNU lead to seven after an Eric Lamanilao trey with seven minutes left in the final quarter. Jacinto then replied with his own version of the long ball before Raul Suyod punctuated the win with a slam at the three-minute mark.

Arellano, meanwhile, struggled for most of the game but still managed to upend Cebu Sports Association Foundation Inc. third-placers USC. Coach Junjie Ablan’s outfit trailed for most of the game but made the necessary adjustments on defense to take the pivotal game from the Warriors.

John Tayongtong scored 11 of his team’s last 18 points in the final five minutes of the game to give the Legarda quintet the cushion it needed in the home stretch. Andrian Celada scored 14 of his team-high 21 points in the first half, and scored on a crucial undergoal stab with 1:20 in the payoff period to put away the Warriors.

“We had a sluggish start, kaya nalamangan kami hanggang third period. Nag-adjust ako, I went to the 1-2-2 zone defense and it paid off,” Ablan told inboundpass.com.

Giovanni Padillo, a 2009 CESAFI Mythical Five member, paced USC with 21 points. Big man Joven Cortes, meanwhile, was held in check by the Chiefs as he scored just four markers.

HTC, which unexpectedly disposed of Ateneo de Davao University to capture the Mindanao regional, next plays Arellano University at 4:30 p.m. on November 5, before USC and WNU take the court at 6 p.m. A loss would all but end both the Wildcats and Warriors’ PCCL campaign. The top two teams at the end of the single round-robin format advance to the Sweet 16 of the tournament.

The Scores:

First Game

Arellano 79 – Celada 21, G. Ciriacruz 14, Tayongtong 13, Rivera 9, Agustin 7, Virtudazo 6, I. Ciriacruz 5, Dimla 2, Miranda 2, Reducto 0, Anquilo 0.

USC 74 – Padillo 23, Cantonao 14, Hermosa 13, Gallarde 7, Panerio 5, Codilla 4, Bautista 4, Cortes 4, Bakker 0.

Quarter scores: 13-17, 29-33, 52-50, 79-74.

Second Game

West Negros 93 – Villariza 15, Sumido 14, Jacinto 14, Suyod 9, Jaca 9, Merin 7, Catalino 6, Javelona 6, Dapar 6, Lauron 4, Agudelo 3.

HTC 77 – Roxas 19, Lamanilao 15, Pragados 14, Landicho 8, Masiana 8, Esguerra 6, Masaglang 4, Versoza 2, de Mesa 1.

Quarter scores: 25-18, 48-38, 73-60, 93-77.

Vanguardia, who was brought in just a week before the start of the 2006 season following the resignation of Cris Calilan, said he signed a two-year deal just this year but was discharged because of a clause in that contract.

“The clause stated that I’d be relieved of my duties if I failed to make a return trip to the finals,” he said.

Under the tutelage of Vanguardia, the Heavy Bombers turned their fortunes around in the country’s oldest collegiate basketball league. After going 6-22 in 2004 and 2005, JRU tapped the services of the Calamba native, who helped steer the Shaw unit to three consecutive Final Four stints, including a finals appearance in Season 84, where it was a win away from ending the longest active title drought in the league today.

All in all, the De La Salle University alum compiled a 40-27 (.597) record. What made his stint with JRU extra special, though, was his contribution to the careers of his key players.

“From two consecutive last-placed finishes, I was able to help transform the school into one of the most feared teams in the league. I am proud of my players. Marc [Cagoco] was a discard of St. Francis of Assisi, John Wilson did not make the cut in San Sebastian. Je [Agas] played for the Stags in high school but was cut, too. Jayson Nocom was a reject from De Ocampo Memorial College, and even Marvin Hayes was cut from National University’s Team B. No one wanted them. I’m glad I was able to become a part of their lives,” Vanguardia told inboundpass.com.

In response to speculations that a couple of his players were involved in game-fixing this year, the 37-year-old tactician said, “I believe in all my players. I’ll stand by them and won’t point a single finger at anyone. It just wasn’t meant to be [this year].”

Assistant coaches Lito Vergara, John Aquino and Franco Atienza were also relieved of their responsibilities. None of them will be taking the coaching helm for the Heavy Bombers in their Philippine Collegiate Champions League stint. As the NCAA’s third-placed team, JRU already has a spot in the Sweet 16, which commences on November 23.

Vergel Meneses, a JRU alum, is expected to fill the coaching void in Mandaluyong City.

Currently, Vanguardia is applying for the vacant National University coaching job. “I’ve joined the bandwagon for the NU job. With solid support, the Bulldogs have so much potential. In fact, I see the 2006 JRU team in NU today. I think it would be a perfect opportunity for me to settle unfinished business with NU.”

Part I delves into the bottom five teams in this season’s campaign.

Angeles University Foundation (2-16)

Song of their season: Madapaka by Parokya ni Edgar
Moment of the year: Losing 15 straight games, 14 of them by double-digits
Quote of the year: “May ibubuga pa pala. Basta nandun yung effort, kaya naman eh.” – Coach Eric Gascon after the season-ending win against Perpertual Help.

Nobody in heaven’s name expected the Great Danes to do well this season, although no one also expected them to be this bad. AUF lost to Mapua by 38, San Sebastian by 32, and Letran by 30 – and that was just in the first round. Man, was this team bad or what?

With only trigger-happy Limmuel Manarang and Patrick Musni the key cogs leaving the team after the season, there’s hope that the boys from MacArthur Highway can find their groove next season, should they still play NCAA ball. Being a guest team, that would all depend on the set-up for next year. While the troika of Matthew Carney, Aaron Santos and Guian Fuertez showed up on some afternoons, the Danes just didn’t have any bite in them. Want more proof? There’s a lot to choose from, but here’s one: Giving up 89 points a game, in a 40-minute game (not 48), is just darn ugly.

University of Perpetual Help System Dalta (3-15)

Song of their season: Huwag Mo Nang Itanong by The Eraseheads
Moment of the year: Beating Mapua, 72-71 in its first round encounter after trailing by as many as eight points with three minutes left
Quote of the year: “Well, this season like I said even from the start we didn’t really expect to win games especially with the lineup that I inherited…In less than a week, I’m going to start building up my team for next year. We are already going to prepare as early as that for next season.” – Coach Boris Aldeguer in a postgame interview after his team’s 67-59 second round loss to St. Benilde.

Take Aldeguer’s word for it. This year wasn’t going to be fun. To begin with, he lost combo guard Ronald Reyes to an ACL injury, then watched Cebuano playmaker Franz Dysam and high-flying Jonathan Belorio bolt for Letran. Sure, his Altas lost to AUF, which is the equivalent of committing a mortal sin in the NCAA. But what really killed Perpetual Help was the lack of support from the second-stringers.

Raffy Ynion, as expected, put in the numbers, while Chris Elopre was one of the league’s pleasant surprises. Besides them, nobody else was consistent. Nathaniel Salanga had a not-so-memorable final year, Robin Roño was like, well, Robin to Batman albeit not everyday and JM Sicat thought the season ended on August 12 [Where, against EAC, he exploded for 18 points. He then went on to score a combined grand total of 27 points in his next nine games]. Don’t ask why the Altas were this bad; it’s written all over Las Piñas.

College of St. Benilde (6-12)

Song of their season: Nanghihinayang by Jeremiah
Moment of the year: Winning their first two games for the second straight year, only to miss out on the Final Four for the seventh consecutive season.
Quote of the year: “I think that’s a decent finish [tied for sixth] considering all the problems that we encountered throughout the season. We lost key players.” – Coach Richard del Rosario after their penultimate game of the year.

The Blazers fielded in arguably their best team since that last Final Four appearance in 2002. While that isn’t really saying much since “main” hordes the more talented kids, CSB was truly one of the most disappointing teams of Season 85. The Taft outfit was pretty good when they were intact, as evidenced by that triple-overtime thriller of a win over Arellano where a guy named Jeff Morial exploded for 31 points.

Morial was one of three Blazers “lost” during the season. After going 0-for-6 in 31 minutes in St. Benilde’s rematch with Arellano, he was never to be seen again. The official line was that he, along with Ilie Johnston and Chuck Dalanon, were saddled with injuries. Whatever the reason(s) is (are), it’s just a pity that a pretty good team like CSB played pretty bad basketball. And of course, another bad season gives both the alumni and student body yet another reason not to watch Blazer ball.

Emilio Aguinaldo College (6-12)

Song of their season: Hallelujah by Bamboo
Moment of the year: The Generals’ 86-81 win over old UCAA and NCRAA foe Arellano, which served as payback for their first round loss.
Quote of the year: “Beating the big teams is what inspires us to play basketball.” – Coach Nomar Isla in a pregame talk before facing San Beda in round one of the eliminations. Forty minutes later, EAC lost by 31.

After beginning the year 0-4, including that mortal sin of a loss to AUF, things looked shaky in the red half of San Marcelino. But if there’s anything Isla is good at, it’s motivating his players. That was on display as the debuting Generals won five of their final seven games while giving squads like Letran and San Sebastian a serious scare.

EAC has a lot more reason to praise the high heavens since only Ruel Jabaybay will be leaving the squad after the season. So, that’s more Argel Mendoza for all you saluting-during-the-alma-mater-hymn folks. Or, shall we say, less? Watch out for Jeffrey Lapitan, Neil Tuazon and another scoring machine in Roy Villegas next year.

Mapua Institute of Technology (6-12)

Song of their season: Hari Ng Sablay by Sugarfree
Moment(s) of the year: Losing six games by seven points or less
Quote of the year: “It looked like a habit for us to lose in the endgame but we learned a lot from those losses.” – Coach Chito Victolero after snapping a school-record 10-game losing skid.

You sure did, Chito. The Cardinals’ season can be divided into two: The first 13 games, which saw them go 1-12 (with the six close defeats mentioned all happening in that time span), and the last five games, all of which were won quite convincingly.

Lest be called the Adamson Falcons of the NCAA for its hard luck and late-game blunders, Mapua has to be given credit for pulling through in the end. Despite being a veteran-laden squad, a lot of those so-called veterans (see Macky Acosta, Paul Cinco, Erwin Cornejo and Rodel Ranises) never had the chance to play during former coach Leo Isaac’s tenure. This may partly explain the mishaps early on, but a couple of better breaks could have had the Cards hunting for a Final Four berth. At least, they nab sixth place and the PCCL wildcard berth via the quotient system. Yes, that good old silver lining.

The Red Lions were 0 of 15 in the fourth quarter from the field.  The Golden Stags capitalized on San Beda’ drought led by Jimbo Aquino with 10 points in the final quarter for a total of 15 points in the 2nd half.

The biggest lead of the Red Lions stood at 12 points, 28-40 early in the third period. Turnovers hurt the three-time defending champions with 26 against San Sebastian’s 14 turnovers.

The Golden Stags grabbed the lead at 59-56, after trailing by 2-points with a triple from Aquino and never looked back.  The Golden Stags were in full control with a 10 point margin in the final minutes  of regulation, 68-58.

“You got to give it to San Sebastian. They wanted it more so congratulations to them for giving it their all. Nobody expected San Sebastian to win two straight and wipe us out in the Finals. You have to give credit to Ato[ Agustin]. Not to make excuses but I think we couldn’t make a shot in the fourth quarter, wala kaming field goal and we couldn’t shoot.” The Red Lions are losing 5 players to graduation led by Bam Gamalinda, Jay-r Taganas, JR Tecson, Chico Tirona and Jerome Villanueva, said a proud Red Lions Head Coach Frankie Lim who already gave San Beda two NCAA Titles.

“I have to give credit to everyone who has believed in us despite being a very young team. We worked really hard to be in this place. When I accepted the job last November, I worked at my program and luckily it worked. My Players responded well. They were committed”, said a jubilant San Sebastian Head Coach Ato Agustin after winning his first collegiate title as a rookie mentor.

BOX SCORES:

SAN SEBASTIAN 76 – Aquino 16, Bulawan 15, Pascual 12, Raymundo 11, Najorda 5, Abueva 5, Gatchalian 4, Del Rio 3, Sangalang 2, Maconocido 2, Semira 1.

SAN BEDA 61 – Lanete 16, Pascual 11, Tecson 10, Caram 6, Marcelo 6, Daniel 4, Hermida 4, Gamalinda 2, Dela Rosa 2, Taganas 0, Tirona 0.

QUARTER SCORES: 14-19, 28-38, 54-56, 76-61.

Jimbo Aquino re-surfaced with 24 points and 12 rebounds against three-peat champions San Beda, who is gunning for their fourth straight title. Rookie sensation Calvin Abueva provided the additional firepower for the Golden Stags produced 10 points and an unbelievable season best 23 rebounds and 5 blocked shots.

“They’re simply incredible. I could not ask for anything more from these two players. They’re my go-to-guys.” said San Sebastian rookie Head Coach Ato Agustin, who is one win away from winning his first collegiate title.  Borgie Hermida, was limited to only 11-points, who is playing with a slightly sprained ankle.

The biggest lead of the game for the Stags stood at 12points, 28-16 early in the second quarter.  Bam Gamalinda and rookie Rome Dela Rosa teamed up for 4 points to cut San Sebastian’s lead down to 2-points, 53-51 late in the 4th period.

“We were successful in stopping San Beda’s running game, and it worked for us that we were able to control the boards, added Coach Agustin.

Rome Dela Rosa converted on a short jumper with 12.8 seconds left in regulation to tie the count at 53-all. Borgie Hermida made another crucial lay-up that sent the game into the 2nd overtime period.

“I’m glad we survived this game. It was our first overtime game this season. The boys did’nt buckle under pressure, continued Coach Agustin.

Four Red Lions had a similar 11-point production namely Sudan Daniel with 19 rebounds, Borgie Hermida, Bam Gamalinda and Garvo Lanete, who disappeared in the 2nd half with all 11-points coming from the 1st half.

BOX SCORES:

SAN SEBASTIAN 72 – Aquino 24, Sangalang 14, Abueva 10, Raymundo 7, Semira 6, Bulawan 4, Maconocido 3, Pascual 2, Najorda 2, Del Rio 0, Gatchalian 0.

SAN BEDA 68 – Lanete 11, Daniel 11, Hermida 11, Gamalinda 11, Dela Rosa 8, Marcelo 8, Pascual 6, Caram 2, Tecson 0, Tirona 0.

QUARTER SCORES: 21-16, 40-32, 47-40, 53-53(reg), 62-62(1st OT), 72-68(Final)

Swingman John Wilson, who still has one playing year left, took home Season 85’s Most Valuable Player award after pipping San Beda College rookie big man Sudan Daniel to the accolade. Wilson amassed 52.7 statistical points, a shade higher than Daniel’s 51.3 clip. In 20 total games this season, the native of Binangonan, Rizal normed averages of 18 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals, punctuated by a 48-point explosion in the Heavy Bombers’ second round win over College of St. Benilde.

Wilson is the sixth Heavy Bomber to cop the prestigious award and the first Kalentong cager since Nani Epondulan received the distinction in 2001.

Rounding out the Mythical Five in the seniors division were Arellano University’s Gio Ciriacruz, San Sebastian College-Recoletos’ Calvin Abueva and Colegio de San Juan de Letran’s RJ Jazul. Ciriacruz and Jazul are no longer eligible for NCAA play next season. Jimbo Aquino of San Sebastian, who was in the thick of things in the MVP race, was automatically disqualified after incurring a suspension in the Stags’ playoff game with San Beda.

Daniel, however, took home Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors after registering 13.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and a league-high four blocks a contest.

JRU High School completed the sweep as one of its players, Louie Vigil, captured the juniors MVP award. Accompanying him in the Mythical Five were the Letran pair of Jarelan Tampus and Glenn Khobuntin, teammate Joshua Saret and San Beda’s Baser Amer. Amer was named Rookie of the Year.

Forty minutes worth of game time later, the humble yet confident rookie mentor, with a wide grin accompanied by an otherwise fatigued expression said, “I told you so.”

For the first time since winning it all in 2002, the gold side of Recto will be making an NCAA Finals appearance. By disposing of the early-season favorites after losing three straight games in a span of a week, San Sebastian put on show the one thing that many pundits thought had eluded its players when push came to shove, both literally and figuratively: toughness, the mental way.

If there’s a chief storyline to the Stags’ NCAA Season 85 championship series with three-time, defending titlists San Beda College, it’s mental and emotional fortitude. For one, the Stags’ thunderous 15-game win streak to kick off the season was put to a halt by Colegio de San Juan de Letran in large part because they lost their cool against a more physical side. And just last week, Agustin’s troops lost back-to-back games, both down the stretch, to their finals opponents. The question now is whether or not the less experienced Stags can overcome their own demons to dethrone the all-conquering five from Mendiola.

In the past two to three weeks, Agustin can be seen scolding his players more for their extra-curricular activities on-court than mapping out strategies. That’s not to say that one of the greatest players in Philippine hoops history is more of a preacher than a tactician. In fact, Agustin says that his wards have known his playbook by heart even before the NCAA wars erupted. But rather, there’s a need to keep his lads in check. In the Stags’ second-to-the-last elimination round game, also against JRU, Agustin was seen scolding big man Gilbert Bulawan for storming into the court after an altercation had ensued. Bulawan was thrown out of the game, and suspended for the Stags’ tiff with San Beda, which they lost.

Erstwhile leading Most Valuable Player candidate Jimbo Aquino also lost his cool in the playoff with the Red Lions for the number one spot in the semifinals. By hitting Jake Pascual, the ace swingman lost the chance to play JRU in Game 1 of the Final Four, a game his unit lost. Unsurprisingly, Agustin was on Aquino’s case, as he was with Calvin Abueva in Game 2 after the latter struck Heavy Bomber Marvin Hayes with his forearm, an episode that nearly merited his ejection.

All of a sudden, keeping cool becomes as important as scoring more points than the opponent. And there isn’t a tougher challenge than San Beda, which has won three consecutive NCAA plums after a 28-year drought not only through the support of a wealthy backer and some guy named Sam Ekwe, but by way of mental toughness. Coach Frankie Lim, San Beda’s coach the past two seasons, is a master of mind games. This posture has been imparted to his players, who rarely cave in under pressure and have a killer’s instinct against opponents who start out slow. The proof: San Beda has won 13 out of its total 20 games by double-figures, and is 4-1 in games decided by eight points or less.

While Agustin has yet to put on his Nostradamus cap heading into the finals, one thing’s for sure. His players have to vow to keep their heads in the game, lest lose not only their cool, but the series itself.

San Beda will be gunning for its 4th straight NCAA title, a feat never before achieved as an institution since being an NCAA founding member in 1924.  San Sebastian, however, will attempt another title run since their back to back conquest in 2001 and 2002.

Both teams have met so many times this season to gather enough scouting data on how to cover each others’ strengths and weaknesses.  It will all boil down to execution, match ups, and defense.  Whichever team can prevent the other from executing their game plan, will win this series.

Let’s look at each teams’ starting unit.  For San Beda, you have Borgie Hermida, Garvo Lanete, Rome de la Rosa, Jake Pascual, Dave Marcelo.  For San Sebastian, you got Pamboy Raymundo, Jimbo Aquino, Ian Sangalang, Gilbert Bulawan and Calvin Abueva.

In the last two games they had, the missing link in the Golden Stags was leading scorer and absolute leader, Jimbo Aquino.  Rome de la Rosa has been assigned to single cover San Sebastian’s go-to-guy and so far San Beda has been successful in making Aquino earn every attempt.  Aquino was reduced to a 7-point marquee producer, a far cry from his league average of 19-points per game. “I’ll be back”, said a confident Aquino.

The spark plug in San Sebastian’s offense has been the energy and hustle of Calvin Abueva. In both encounters,  Abueva has averaged 14 points and 12 rebounds with only 8 rebounds in their playoff duel for 1st place.

The transition attack has always been the primary staple for the Red Lions – 16 fastbreak points in their 2nd game.  San Sebastian must be quick in their transition defense or risk being overwhelmed by the  Red Lions stampede.

San Sebastian has a very talented unit but has yet to prove itself in a bigger stage under rookie coach.  “We have made our adjustments, we will just surprise them”, said San Sebastian Head Coach Ato Agustin.

San Beda on the other hand, has some pieces of its previous title run in the line up but has changed its starting unit due to new additions like Sudan Daniel and De la Rosa and breakout performances from Lanete. The missing link during the season but had an exemplary performance against the Golden Stags is Borgie Hermida who contributed an average of 15 points on both encounters.  For Coach Frankie Lim, this season has been so far the most challenging, despite the roadblocks, he has  seized the moment.

My Take: San Beda will win its 4th Straight Title in 3 games.

“When we lost, we didn’t have a legitimate go-to-guy. That’s where we missed the services of Jimbo [Aquino] in our match last Friday. Everytime we run our plays it will always go to our best gunner andf that’s Jimbo, said a jubilant San Sebastian Head Coach Ato Agustin.

After dropping their game last Oct 16 against the Heavy Bombers, Jimbo Aquino easily scored 7 -points from the opening tip where the Golden Stags held JRU scoreless for almost 5 minutes with a blistering 19-0 run for a commanding 21-point advantage.
Calvin Abueva was a force tallying 10 point, 4 rebounds in just 9 minutes of action in the first half.   JRU was not able to get some decent numbers from their leading MVP candidate John Wilson who   was held to only 8 points from an 18 points per game average.

The Heavy Bombers’ were able to trim the deficit down to within 8-points, 38-46 courtesy of John Njei John Nje at the 6:34 minute mark of the 3rd quarter.

“As I’ve said, Monday will be a different ball game. We would like to have a very light practice but we wanter to execute our plays smoothly in preparation for today’s game, added Coach Ato Agustin.

The Heavy Bombers only had 12 assists in the game compared to San Sebastian’s 22 assists.

San Sebastian marks their first Finals appearance in six years, where they will face a very tall order against the reigning three-peat champions, San Beda College.

“Going into our Finals match with San Beda where Hermida did major damage on us in our two meetings last week, we have thought about our game plan. The Finals will be a different story, continued Coach Ato Agustin.

Calvin Abueva had 18 points, 6 rebounds while Jimbo Aquino added 14 points.  JR Sena tallied 13 points for JRU with Marc Cagoco and John Agas combined for 17 points.

BOX SCORES:

SAN SEBASTIAN 79 – Abueva 18, Aquino 14, Najorda 9, Sangalang 8, Pascual 8, Del Rio 8, Bulawan 7, Raymundo 5, Gatchalian 2, Semira 0, Maconocido 0.

JRU 64 – Sena 13, Agas 9, Cagoco 8, Hayes 8, Wilson 8, Njei 4, Lopez 4, Etame 4, Apinan 2, Kabigting 2, Bulangis 2, Gabriel 0.

QUARTER SCORES: 29-8, 44-28, 64-44, 79-64.

The winner will face NCAA defending champions, San Beda College, who already booked their seat for the finals, to be held at the Araneta Coliseum on Oct. 22, 2009.

James Sena was waxing hot in the 2nd half producing 6 straight points, for a 34-28 lead with a minute gone by in the 3rd quarter.

“It helped that he [Aquino] wasn’t in today’s game. It somehow gave us a slim advantage. Our zone defense wouldn’t have worked well for us if Jimbo [Aquino] played. We really had to gamble on the zone”, said JRU Head Coach Ariel Vanguardia referring to the absence of Aquino in their 1st Final Four game against the Golden Stags.

“We have to neutralize the return of Jimbo come Oct. 19. For today, Nchotu [Njei] really worked hard. He’s an outspoken leader that binds the team together. He can get all the rookies and veterans together and it’s a blessing that his first three-point shot this year came during a crucial game where our future is at stake”, added Coach Vanguardia.

Aquino, who is playing his final year with the Golden Stags, is serving his 1-game suspension via a disqualifying foul slapped on him last Oct 14 after a punching incident on San Beda’s Jake Pascual.

Nchotu Njei hit an unexpected 3-pointer under the 2 minute mark in the 4th period for a 66-59 cushion going into the final moments of the ball game.

“We had the chance to beat San Sebastian[in the elimination round] but it just wasn’t our time yet but this win over the Stags came when we needed it the most. Though they didn’t have a complete lineup, we’re still satisfied with the way we played and we’re out to duplicate it this Monday. It’s gonna be war on Monday especially with the return of their main man Aquino back in the line up”, Coach Vanguardia continued.

Nchotu Njei led the JRU with 15 points including that crucial 3-point shot and 7 rebounds. Marvin Hayes added 15 points and 5 rebounds.  Rookie Ronald Pascual came out with a season-best 23 points and 8 rebounds while Calvin Abueva added 13 points and 13 rebonds for the Golden Stags.  San Sebastian shot a measly 29% from the field compared to JRU’s 40%.  But the Heavy Bombers shot only 23% from the 3-point area against the Golden Stags’ 32%.

BOX SCORES:

JRU 72 – Njei 15, Hayes 15, Cagoco 10, Sena 10, Wilson 6, Bulangis 6, Agas 5, Lopez 4, Etame 1, Matute 0.

SAN SEBASTIAN 65 – Pascual 23, Abueva 13, Del Rio 10, Semira 8, Najorda 6, Gatchalian 3, Bulawan 2, Raymundo 0, Sangalang 0.

QUARTER SCORES: 15-15, 30-28, 46-45, 72-65.

After snatching the top spot of the standings plus twice to beat advantage from the San Sebastian Golden Stags last Oct 14, the Red Lions, went to rookie Rome Dela Rosa for a 13 point performance in the 2nd half.

On the other hand, the Rey Guevarra-less Knights banked on the explosive performance of rookie, Kevin Alas with 24 points and 5 assists in their final game for Season 85.

“ We’re happy we have another invitation to the Finals. This is something we can’t afford to miss”, said jubilant Coach Frankie Lim who is close to steering San Beda to its fourth straight title.

San Beda had 17 turnovers in the 1st half that helped put Letran in the driver’s seat, 35-32 to open the 3rd quarter.  The Red Lions finally got its legs going on the open court with 12 fastbreak points in the 3rd period.

“ Rome[dela Rosa] played well. We’re very lucky to have him in our lineup and he fits well into our system and he has impressed us with the contributions within the given minutes”,  Coach Lim added after Dela Rosa, a rookie out of San Diego held Jazul scoreless in the final period.

The Knights ignited a 15-9 run in the final quarter backed by an 8 point-production of the younger Alas in the final period to close the gap to within 3, 79-76.

Coach Louie Alas felt the pressure after losing his graduating player Rey Guevarra to a season-ending injury he incurred in their last game in the elimination round last Oct 2.  Guevarra averaged close to 16 points a game and 3.9 rebounds.   The Red Lions initially had problems with Letran’s vaunted pressure defense in the 1st half with 29 turnover points compared to San Beda’s 18-points.

“ I’m proud of my boys despite the fact that we played minus Rey [Guevarra] who has been a pillar of this team but we never gave up the entire game and fought up to the last second because everyone gave their best though it wasn’t enough”, said Letran Head Coach Louie Alas.

BOX SCORES:

SAN BEDA 82 – Dela Rosa 17, Lanete 17, Daniel 16, Pascual 12, Gamalinda 9, Marcelo 4, Tecson 3, Hermida 2, Caram 2, Tirona 0.

LETRAN 76 – K. Alas 24, Jazul 15, Gutilban 15, Cortes 8, Foronda 5, J. Alas 5, Del Rosario 4, Belencion 0, Datang 0.

QUARTER SCORES: 18-19, 32-35, 58-53, 82-76.

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The San Beda Red Lions vs. The Letran Knights

Letran had the distinction of being the first team in the league to hand over San Sebastian’s first ever defeat in the elimination round.  But can they pull off another tour de force against the heavily favored San Beda?  Coach Louie Alas has seen and been in this situation countless times, I’m sure he’ll think of some gimmicks to slow down the rampaging Red Lions in their quest for a 4th straight finals appearance.

With the loss of Rey Guevarra (averaging 15.7 points per game)  to an ACL injury that he suffered during their 2nd round encounter against the Red Lions, Coach Louie Alas will have to find a way to maximize his line up especially on the defensive end.

Letran’s leading scorer, RJ Jazul (avereging 17 points per game), rather than come off the bench, would have ride the starting line up once again.  Hopefully up for the challenge is rookie Kevin Alas, who would probably start at the point guard position to give the Knights another scorer in the backcourt.  Kristoffer Alas, Jam Cortes and Jaypee Belencion would have to step up to fill up the void left by their injured colleague and this include veterans Reymar Gutilban and John Foronda, each and everyone of them must do their share to stop the bleeding if they want to make a dent in San Beda’s 4th straight title hopes.

The Red Lions however are coming off a back to back encounter (for that twice to beat berth and 1st place in the standings) with then league leader, San Sebastian and San Beda might be under the weather at some point but Coach Frankie Lim’s team has remained positive and resilient all throughout the series, so little doubt remains if the Red Lions would falter now that the 4th trip to the finals is knocking at the front door.

With Jay-R Taganas temporarily out of the line up, their recent experience against the Golden Stags has somehow led Coach Frankie Lim to discover  other options and tweaks to his current line up, and this will be very useful if the Red Lions would want to end this series as soon as possible.

Borgie Hermida, Garvo Lanete, Bam Gamalinda, Jake Pascual, and Dave Marcelo will perhaps form the core of Coach Lim’s starting five.  Sudan Daniel, impact player Rome de la Rosa, reliable back up playmaker, Anjo Caram, and JR Tecson form the most lethal bench in the league.

My take: San Beda will go to the finals for the 4th straight time.

The San Sebastian Golden Stags vs. the Jose Rizal Heavy Bombers

San Sebastian has won both elimination round encounters but had lost three games deep in the 2nd round that led many to believe that the Golden Stags have peaked too soon.  JRU, however, have cooled down a little bit in that 2nd round loss to San Sebastian, so this will be an interesting rematch as soon as this series takes off.

With the probable suspension of Jimbo Aquino in Game 1 due to his altercation during a playoff game with San Beda, the Golden Stags will be without their leading scorer, MVP candidate and team leader  when they face a solid line up such as the Heavy Bombers.

Coach Ato Agustin has found an unlikely soldier willing to carry the torch in times of chaos is Calvin Abueva.  Abueva proved to be a menace in both games against the Red Lions, with a 12 rebound average on both occasions to complement his hustle on both ends of the floor.

Ian Sangalang, Gilbert Bulawan, Dave Najorda and Ronald Pascual are one of the most skillful forwards in the league. They are versatile and cunning, a luxury that Coach Agustin has in his arsenal.

The Golden Stags frontline will be complimented by a dangerous backcourt crew of Pamboy Raymundo, Raymond Maconocido, Jonathan Semira, and Anthony del Rio majority of whom has the outside touch to clear the floor for  their frontline to operate.

Earlier in the season, I have predicted that JRU will capture the Season 85 trophy.  My basis was a healthy Etame Joe and the Season 84 version of James Sena surrounded by a solid corps of veterans and rookies.  So far, we have seen remnants of the Season 84 version of the Heavy Bombers in some parts in high gear with Joe finally seeing extensive action against San Sebastian in the 2nd round.

Leading MVP candidate John Wilson, Marc Cagoco, Nchotu Njei and Marvin Hayes have to bring their A-game if they want to make up for their faux pas against the Golden Stags.  The rising contribution of John Agas and John Lopez will surely help the Heavy Bombers’ cause if they want to match the depth and energy of the Golden Stags.

My Take:  San Sebastian in 2.

The three-time defending champions forced a playoff game for the number one seed in the Final Four of this 85th NCAA Season by defeating San Sebastian College 71-67, last Monday. Two days later, San Beda College defeated them once again, 71-65 last Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan City. The once seemingly invincible San Sebastian College – Recoletos Golden Stags have lost two games in a row for the first time this season.

This victory earned the Red Lions their fourth straight number one seeding at the end of the elimination round and third straight with Head Coach Frankie Lim as the man calling the shots in the sidelines.

“For the third straight time, we finished the eliminations number one. We take pride in that. I’m happy for the boys because for the first time after a lousy foul shooting game, especially the last game. We shot like 48 percent from the foul line. Tonight, we got less attempts from the foul line but we shot 86 percent.  It’s just unbelievable that the other team got a lot of opportunities at the foul line but then again, it’s our toughness. The guys were tough. They didn’t back down on the kind of physical play that the other team brings. They deserve to be number one,” said the proud coach after the game.

After a very low scoring first quarter for both teams, veteran Borgie Hermida utilized his experience and ignited a strong second quarter charge by leading the way for San Beda scoring 8 points. He finished with a season-high 18 points.

“Borgie is playing very well, Dela Rosa is playing very well and that’s good for us. They know the importance of the game. They don’t want to lose and you can see it in thier eyes. That’s one thing that’s very nice about these guys. They follow orders,” said Coach Frankie Lim.

Rookie Rom Dela Rosa chipped in with 12 points and played excellent defense on San Sebastian’s Jimbo Aquino. Aquino appeared tight and frustrated due to the defensive schemes put up by the Red Lions. Dela Rosa and JR Tecson took turns in defending one of the league’s leading scorers averaging 20-3 points per game.

With 6:10 remaining in the 3rd Quarter, an unexpected mental mistake struck a big blow against the Golden Stags. After playing with so much poise under pressure for the entire season, the struggling Jimbo Aquino who had difficulty figuring out the San Beda defense threw a forearm at Jake Pascual. The referees ejected him from the ball game. This may have hurt the graduating forward’s chances of winning the MVP award this season. He left the game with a season-low 5 points.

Despite the absence of their leader, the Golden Stags still fought valiantly and even cut the San Beda lead to a single point, 66-65 with a tip-in by Calvin Abueva.  But, this would be the last basket of San Sebastian. A Jake Pascual jumper with 2:46 remaining extended the lead to three, 68-65. Pascual followed it up with an emphatic block on Abueva that resulted in loud screams of victory from the San Beda faithful.

The Final Four is now set with San Beda enjoying a twice-to-beat advantage over the number four seed Letran Knights. On the other hand, the number two seed San Sebastian will take on last year’s runner’s ups, the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers. The games will begin on Friday, October 14, 2009 at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.

“So, Friday we’re playing Letran. I know Guevarra is not showing up because he had an injury but just the same, alam mo na ang Letran. Once they play San Beda, kahit undermanned yan, nagiiba laro niyan. Everybody gets better.  So, we just have to face that challenge and try to give them a good game. Hopefully, we can finish it off on Friday to get to the finals,” said Coach Frankie Lim.

In the juniors division, the San Beda Red Cubs clinched the number one spot entering the Final Four by dismantling the Letran Squires, 91-77. Both teams were tied at the end of the elimination round with identical 17-1 records. The exciting backcourt tandem of Baser Amer and Roldan Sara combined for 40 big points with Amer scoring a team-high 25 points for the Red Cubs. The third seed San Sebastian Golden Staglets and fourth seed JRU Light Bombers complete the Final Four cast in the juniors division.

The scores:

SBC 71 – Hermida 18, Dela Rosa 12, Pascual 8, Gamalinda 8, Marcelo 8, Daniel 6, Lanete 4, Tecson 3, Caram 2, Tirona 2.

SSC-R 65 – Abueva 13, Del Rio 13, Bulawan 11, Pascual 9, Sangalang 6, Aquino 5, Raymundo 3, Maconocido 3, Semira 2, Gatchalian E. 0, Najorda 0.

Quarter scores: 6-6, 28-22, 52-45, 71-65.

A short jumper from Bam Gamalinda plus 2 pressure-packed free throws from Borgie Hermida was all the Red Lions needed to snatch the game away from the Golden Stags who had total control thru most of the way.

The absence of Gilbert Bulawan, averaging 8.4 points and 5.5 rebounds, probably hurt San Sebastian’ chances of making a repeat over San Beda.  San Beda successfully limited San Sebastian’s scoring leader and Jimbo Aquino (Birthdate oct 13), who usually averages 20.9 points per game, to just 9-points.

Sudan Daniel, coming off a 3-point performance in their last outing on Oct 2 against Letran exploded for 19 points and 13 rebonds to hand the Red Lions this much needed victory.

With the Golden Stags, who had a 2point advantage in the 4th quarter, were able to extend their lead to 8-points before Borgie Hermida scored 4 straight points and Garvo Lanete adding a basket to come within 2-points, 62-60 halfway thru the decisive period.
Sudan Daniel, Jake Pascual and Bam Gamalinda brought San Beda its first taste of the lead, 66-64 with 3:11 minutes remaining. The Golden Stags grabbed the lead for the last time with a jumper from the left corner from MVP candidate Jimbo Aquino, making the count 67-65, at the 2:36 minute mark.

Calvin Abueva had 15 points and 15 rebonds with Ian Sangalang and Ronald Pascual adding 12 points each. The Golden Stags had 20 turnovers against the Red Lions’ 16. The Golden Stags, however, led in the rebounding department, 49-43.

“ We were able to limit Aquino. The guys were playing one-on-one and trying to win the game by themselves so I asked the team to move the ball around make defensive stops.  Hopefully we could come up with the same intensity on our next game against San Sebastian, said Red Lions Head Coach Frankie Lim.

BOX SCORES:

SAN BEDA 71 – Daniel 19, Lanete 15, Hermida 12, Pascual 6, Dela Rosa 6, Gamalinda 6, Tecson 3, Caram 2, Marcelo 2, Tirona 0.

SAN SEBASTIAN 67 – Abueva 15, Sangalang 12, Pascual 12, Aquino 9, Maconocido 6, Najorda 5, Raymundo 3, Semira 3, Maiquez 2, Del Rio 0.

QUARTER SCORES: 15-18, 28-35, 54-56, 71-67.

Two days after a close loss to San Sebastian, Jose Rizal University disarmed the Generals, 97-61 in NCAA Season 85 play last October 9 to wrap up its elimination round campaign at the FIloil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.

Most Valuable Player candidate John Wilson came out strong in the fourth period, scoring 12 of his 29 points to make up for his sub-par showing last Wednesday as EAC failed to buck the below average outing of top scorer Argel Mendoza. Mendoza, who is averaging 20.9 points per game, was held to just 13 points, his lowest in the second round.

The wounded Bombers started strong and finished strong, dictating the tempo from tipoff. Graduating guard Marc Cagoco poured in 10 points in the opening period to dictate things early. JRU never looked back as Cagoco, Wilson and JR Sena combined for 53 points, more than half the Shaw outfit’s output. The Bombers also moved the ball around efficiently, registering 22 assists against EAC’s nine. The EAC Generals dropped their twelfth game against six wins, forcing a logjam for the sixth spot with St. Benilde and Mapua.

Wilson’s team-high point total was complemented by a seven-rebound haul. Claude Cubo stepped up for the Generals in their last game of their maiden season with 19 points and eleven boards.

JRU coach Ariel Vanguardia, who has upped his team’s win total year-by-year since taking over in 2006, said he wanted to savor the victory despite the uncertainty that grips his camp.

“We’re thankful we’ve reached this far. Fifteen wins is 15 wins. Sadly, it’s not good enough to put us in the number two spot. Whatever happens is not in our hands anymore. At least we probably have the best record in the second round with a lone defeat. This is already an accomplishment for us. If San Sebastian decides to play Monday, it will be interesting to play against San Beda. History in the last three years has the number one team winning the championship. Right now momentum is with San Sebastian. There’s no room for errors for us. We’ll enjoy this victory which happens to be the best record so far for JRU in the past years, and also the best record for me since taking over in 2006. I’m a very positive person, and that everything happens for a reason. Let’s just see what happens in the next round. We’ll be preparing hard for it definitely.

A San Beda win on Monday against San Sebastian will effectively relegate JRU to the number three spot. Its opponent, should that happen, will be determined via the quotient system. If San Beda loses, however, the Bombers will play the defending champions in a virtual best-of-three Final Four tiff.

The scores:

JRU 97 – Wilson 29, Cagoco 13, Sena 11, Lopez 9, Etame 8, Njei 6, Montemayor 6, Hayes 6, Kabigting 4, Agas 3, Bulangis 3, Apinan 0, Gabriel 0, Salazar 0, Matute 0.

EAC 61 – Cubo 19, Mendoza 13, Chiong 8, Jabaybay 7, L. Yaya 6, Santos 4, R. Yaya 2, Diolanto 2, Liwag 0.

Quarter scores: 26-17, 54-29, 73-45, 97-61.

The Cardinals wrapped up their NCAA campaign with a 68-56 win, their fifth in a row, against College of St. Benilde at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan City last October 9, 2009.

Mapua seemed it wanted the game more from the get-go, as evidenced by their defensive stops on the Blazers. Erwin Cornejo led the Cardinals’ assault by scoring 10 of his game-high 19 markers in the second half, where coach Chito Victolero’s Cards zoomed their way to a whopping 20-point lead early in the third period, 49-29. Jacob Manlapaz, in his final playing year with CSB, helped his team trim the deficit to 13 at the end of that quarter.

In the final period, the Blazers, behind the scoring of Aaron Umlas, bridged the gap further to just nine, 60-51 with 3:30 remaining in the game. Cornejo’s back-to-back triples for Mapua, however, put out the fire the Blazers ignited to extend the lead to 15.

Sophomore guard Allan Mangahas added 13 points, five rebounds and two assists to complement Cornejo’s solid peroformance. Manlapaz, meanwhile, tallied 13 points and five boards for St. Benilde.

After a dismal 1-12 start, the Intramuros quintet went on to sweep its remaining assignments in the second round to finish with a decent 6-12 record and a shot at the Philippine Collegiate Championship League wildcard spot as the league’s sixth-placed team. Ironically, the Blazers also ended their season at 6-12. The Cardinals, who will only lose guard Randolf Soriano to ineligibility next season, will look to cap their year on a high should they qualify for the Naga City zonals of the PCCL as the NCAA’s second wildcard team.

The scores:

Mapua 68 – Cornejo 19, Mangahas 13, Pascual 10, Guillermo 7, Ranises 5, Sarangay 4, Cinco 4, Acosta 4, Stevens 2, Soriano 0, Parala 0.

CSB 56 - Manlapaz 13, Umlas 9, de Guzman 6, Wong 5, Tajonera 5, Urra 5, de la Paz 4, Mañalac 3, Tan 2, Abolucion 2, Montecastro 2.

Quarter scores: 24-9, 38-25, 52-39, 68-56.

The Blue Eagles retained their UAAP men’s basketball championship with a convincing 71-58 demolition job of upstart University of the East in the deciding Game 3 at the Araneta Coliseum last October 8, 2009.

A close first quarter turned into a blowout as the Blue and White held UE to just eight points in the second period. Coach Norman Black’s troops unleashed a decisive 12-0 run to hike the advantage to 15 at the end of the first 20 minutes of action.

Despite losing his Most Valuable Player plum this season, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, a member of Season 72’s Mythical Five, silenced his critics with a strong double-double that gave the Red Warrior zone defense fits. He tallied 21 points and 14 rebounds in his last game as a college cager.

The former PCU Baby Dolphin said, “After Sunday’s loss, hindi talaga ako makatulog ng maayos. Actually, today, 6 a.m. na ako nakatulog kasi unexplainable yung feeling na do-or-die yung match, winner-take-all and last collegiate game ko na ito. That blowout loss really haunted me. I stood firm with my goal na hindi ako papayag na uuwi kami nang luhaan. May tiwala ako sa teammates ko. We had one mission that we were able to accomplish. Ang sa akin lang kasi, this is my last year, I don’t want to play with regrets kaya in preparation for this game, after practice, sinasamahan ko ng shooting drills.”

The Red Warriors eventually outscored the Blue Eagles, 17-16 in the third period but it was not enough as Ateneo continued its onslaught and established its biggest lead of 20. The Red Warriors’ missing link was Pari Llagas, who failed to score a basket in 27 minutes of action. A vital cog in Game 2, Llagas, also on his final year, went 0-for-7 from the field. His three points all came from the charity stripe. All in all, the Red Warriors shot just a shade above 30 percent from the field, a far cry from their 51 percent clip the previous game.

Jai Reyes also came up big in his final appearance donning the Blue and White as he canned 16 points and grabbed six boards. Al-Hussaini, who averaged 22.3 points and 11.7 rebounds in the Finals, was named series MVP.   

Ateneo coach Norman Black said, “At the end of last season, I knew we’ll be a better team this year. We’ve been always positive. I’m glad the team handled adversity well. We were able to bounce back. Experience is the best teacher. With our 2006 loss in the Finals to UST, I explained to the boys who were a part of that squad that it’s something you never want to feel again, and I told the new boys that it’s a feeling they don’t want to feel. We came back today to win a championship. We didn’t want to throw away our season. We came more focused today.

We mainly dedicated the game to the seniors who will not be playing with us next year. Good thing is that, they were following me for most part. I really thought that from the team that we had last year, this year’s squad will be a better one. We’re losing Rabeh and Jai. Surely those will be big shoes to fill but this will give the younger ones in the team the chance to play.”

The Blue Eagles last won back-to-back titles in 1987 and 1988, and waited 14 long years before clinching another title in 2002 against archrival De La Salle. In 2006, Ateneo blew a 1-0 Finals edge against a surprising University of Sto. Tomas five. Last season saw the Katipunan qunitet clinch its fourth UAAP title at the expense of De La Salle University.

UE, on the other hand, failed to end a 24-year title drought. Rookie head coach Lawrence Chongson said, “We lost to a better team today. Maybe we were just pretenders, and probably they were mentally and emotionally [more] prepared than us. Probably my boys were not ready enough to tackle a big game like this. I knew they were to bounce back but we tried our best to fend them off. It’s still a consolation to get the second place. We’re disappointed of course because we set out to win the championship this season. Siguro hanggang dito lang talaga. As a rookie coach, this team brought me to the finals and I’d have to thank them for that.”

The Ateneo Blue Eaglets, meanwhile, gave Loyola Heights a double celebration as they took Game 3 of the juniors finals against De La Salle Zobel, 61-58. Ael Banal paced the back-to-back champions with 16 points, while Kiefer Ravena was named Finals MVP.

The scores:

Ateneo 71 – Al Hussaini 21, Reyes 16, Buenafe 10, Baclao 8, Salamat 7, Long 7, Salva 2, Monfort 0, Austria 0.

UE 58 – Lee 21, Espiritu 16, Acuña 8, Lingganay 5, Zamar 3, Llagas 3, Flores 2, Reyes 0, Duran 0, Ayala 0.

Quarter scores: 21-17, 40-25, 57-41, 71-58.

Both teams played without their key players. CSB once again missed Jeff Morial, Ilie Johnston and Chuck Dalanon due to various injuries. Perpetual Help, on the other hand, did not field in their two top players, Raffy Ynion and Chris Elopre, as a disciplinary measure undertaken by school officials.

Things got sloppy in the second half. With 9:22 seconds left in the third quarter, a double technical foul was called on CSB’s Aaron Umlas and Altas third-stringer Dale Villadores, who saw action for the first time this season. Both were up in each other’s faces after Villadores pushed off Umlas while trying to break free to receive an inbound pass.

In the fourth, Umlas received yet another technical foul at the 5:22 mark for complaining to the referees. There might have been an error on the part of the officials as he was not asked to leave the playing court after accumulating two technical fouls, which are supposed to automatically eject the player who incurred them.

Jelo Montecastro led the way for the Blazers with his aggressive play and finished with a game-high 19 points. Jacob Manlapaz also had a solid game and finished with a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Jason Salvado, meanwhile, paced the Las Piñas attack with 15 points.

“Well, actually we’re aiming to finish at number six. Right now, we’re tied with EAC so if they lose to JRU and we beat Mapúa on Friday, then we will finish at sixth place with seven wins and eleven losses. I think that’s a decent finish considering all the problems that we encountered throughout the season. We lost key players, all starters during the middle of the season. That’s why the players had to adjust with their new roles. So, if we beat Mapúa on Friday then I think that would be a good finish for this young team. We’re hoping that we can build on that so that next year we will have more maturity from the young players,” said St. Benilde coach Richard del Rosario.

College of St. Benilde plays its final game of the season on Friday, October 9, 2009 against a streaking Mapúa Cardinal squad that has won its last four games. Both teams are gunning for that last spot that guarantees a place in the upcoming Philippine Collegiate Championship. The Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals are also in contention for that final wildcard slot.

Despite the loss, Altas mentor Boris Aldeguer is already looking forward better days ahead for the Perpetual Help Altas.

“Well, this season like I said even from the start we didn’t really expect to win games especially with the lineup that I inherited. The objective was to gain a lot of experience for the rookies and then hopefully learn more and actually win games. And, I was pretty happy because there were a lot of games that we almost won. However, there were games where we were really blown out. So everything that happened this season was really a learning experience for me as a coach and of course for the players as well. Next year, it’s going to be different. Now, my approach is not anymore learning. We learned already so it’s about time that we win games already. In less than a week, I’m going to start building up my team for next year. We are already going to prepare as early as that for next season,” the rookie tactician said.

The Perpetual Help Altas finished the season with 3 wins and 15 losses. Their three wins all came in the first round against AUF, MIT and EAC.

The scores:

CSB 67 – Montecastro 19, Manlapaz 12, Abolucion 8, de Guzman 8, Umlas 7, Mañalac 7, Wong 5, Tan 1, Urra 0, Argamino 0.

UPHSD 59 – Salvado 15, Vivero 13, Roño 10, Carrullo 7, Galabin 4, Villadores 3, Hainga 2, Salanga 2, Sicat 2, Baptista 1, Liaz 0, Lucente 0, dela Cruz 0.

Quarter scores: 16-7, 29-31, 47-44, 67-59.

In a crucial tiff, the San Sebastian College-Recoletos Stags did not falter under intense pressure as they handed the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers their first defeat of the second round and earned a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four, 84-78 in NCAA Season 85 play last October 7, 2009 at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.

The atmosphere was electric from start to finish. The JRU fans, who occupied three-fifths of The Arena, erupted during the announcement of the starting lineups as their prized recruit from Cameroon, Joe Etame, made an emotional surprise start at the center position. Etame had only played two games prior to this one due to a hyperextended knee with a slight ligament tear. The Heavy Bombers won the first possession and Etame quickly drilled in the first basket of the ballgame with a short jumpshot. That was also his first field goal of the season.

San Sebastian then countered in the second quarter by outscoring Jose Rizal, 29-21 and extended its lead in the third to as high as 12. With 1:36 remaining in the quarter, Calvin Abueva was called for an offensive foul after knocking Marvin Hayes to the ground while both were fighting for position close to the basket. As Hayes stood up Abueva shoved him above the shoulders, igniting some mayhem inside the venue. The game was stopped for more than ten minutes.

Abueva was charged with an additional unsportmanlike foul, which led to his fifth personal foul. Stags big man Gilbert Bulawan was ejected from the game for leaving the bench to join the fracas. JRU’s John Lopez and assistant coach John Aquino were also charged with technical fouls while a JRU fan was escorted out of the building by security for misconduct.

When the game finally resumed, the Heavy Bombers began a furious rally that kept the Stags on their toes. JRU came as close as a solitary point, 76-75 with 2:12 left in regulation after James Sena converted two free throws. But, Dave Najorda courageously answered with a driving hook shot at the 1:52 mark. In the ensuing play, John Wilson was fouled after driving hard to the basket and converted one of two charities to trim the deficit to two, 78-76.

And then, Jimbo Aquino did it again.

Like he has so many times this season, the Tarlac native brought out a fire extinguisher and hit a tough turnaround fadeaway jumper at the post over the sticky defense of Marc Cagoco with 54.1 seconds remaining.

“Actually, wala sa play namin yun, ako na mismo nag-decide na mag-post ng play nung nakita ko mismatch naman kaya grab ko na yung opportunity ng play. Di ko na kaya mag-penetrate, foul kasi, namumulikat na ako kaya nag-set na ako ng play na perimeter kasi lagi naman nasa practice ko yun ganung klaseng play,” said the MVP candidate who finished with a game-high 20 points.

JRU forward Marvin Hayes then scored on a quick lay-up with 43.3 seconds to play. At the other end, Stags guard Jon Semira pump-faked and got his defender in the air, rose up and hit the biggest shot of his collegiate career to seal the game for the Recto unit.

“Ball came to me when the game was on the line and you know, it’s just instinct to go to the basket and try to get a good shot and luckily it went in. Today, I guess I was feeling it. I hit a couple of threes so I tried my luck when the game was on the line and God gave me a presence. Probably, it was the biggest shot of my college career here. Hopefully there’s more to come,” said Semira.

But, the play was not created for Semira.

“No, it’s not. Kasi alam mo, kung paano ko bigyan ng kumpiyansa yung mga player ko. Basta malibre sila, take it. Pero pag may mas libre pasa niya sibi ko. Ang hinahanap natin sa play ay yung libre. Kaya, I was surprised na talagang nung na pumasok yun, talagang ano na, may diskarte talaga. Kasi nakita niya natakpan na siya eh. So, parang shot clock na yun so tinira na niya,” explained San Sebastian coach Ato Agustin after the game.

JRU, which dropped to 14-3 and a game back of that all-important second twice-to-beat spot in the Final Four, plays its final game of the season against the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals on Friday, October 9. A win today would have tied San Sebastian, who still has to play the San Beda College Red Lions on the final day of the elimination round on October 12.

Agustin already has his mind set on finishing the elimination round strong against San Beda.

“Yung Beda, siyempre, we’ll be ready for that. Kailangan din namin ipanalo yun so we can get first place. Malaking tulong yung panalo namin para sa paghanda namin ng Beda dahil tumaas ang morale ng mga bata,” he said.

However, San Sebastian has to find a way to fill the void left by Bulawan, who will serve his one-game suspension in the matchup with the Red Lions.

The scores:

San Sebastian 84 – Aquino 20, Semira 12, Najorda 11, Abueva 11, Abueva 8, Bulawan 7, Pascual 7, Sangalang 6, del Rio 5, Maconocido 4, Raymundo 4, Maiquez 0.

JRU 78 – Wilson 14, Hayes 14, Cagoco 12, Sena 11, Njei 11, Agas 10, Etame 6, Lopez 0, Bulangis 0, Apinan 0.

Quarter scores: 14-16, 43-37, 65-61, 84-78.

The Great Danes snapped an all-time high 15-game losing streak with a hard-earned 73-66 win over University of Perpetual Help System Dalta for just their second win of NCAA Season 85 last October 5 at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.

The first half of action was controlled by the Altas, who held a four-point advantage at the half. Big man BJ Carrullo then poured in eight of his career-high 19 points in the third period to help maintain their advantage. The Central Luzon five, however, grabbed the momentum in the payoff period as it capitalized on five crucial Perpetual Help turnovers in that stretch. AUF forward Limmuel Manarang gave his team the lead at the 2:13 mark, 64-63. Guard Aaron Santos then buried two charities and a triple with 30 ticks left to give the Danes a 69-63 edge.

Chris Liaz’s bail-out triple with 17 seconds left gave the Altas a glimmer of hope as they trailed by just three, 69-66. Guian Fuertez replied with four points, including a freebie after a Carrullo unsportsmanlike foul, that sealed the deal for coach Eric Gascon’s side.

Santos led the Great Danes with 16 points, four rebounds, one steal and two blocks, with Fuertez and Matthew Carney adding 14 and 13 respectively and a combined 12 boards. Chris Elopre, along with Carrullo, carried the offensive load for the Las Piñas squad.

Coach Eric Gascon of AUF said that they will be going home to Pampanga in a festive mood. “SInabi ko before the game started, sa atin ang game na ito. I think halftime down by four kami, I told them to just stay with our system. When we were down by four or five, I said ok lang yan. In the fourth, nag-experiment na ako. Naka-steal kami, naka-basket kami sa crucial minutes. Crucial yung three points ni Santos. Medyo naging one-sided yung first round kasi medyo nag-aadjust pa rin kami sa style of play sa NCAA. Naka-adjust na kami sa second round, nakita ko yung improvement. Hopefully, we will be given a chance to be a regular member, so it’s up to the ManCom of the league. Overall, we’re happy to finish this season on a high note.”

The loss dropped Perpetual Help to a 3-14 mark. It plays College of St. Benilde in its final outing this Wednesday, October 7. AUF, meanwhile, moves up to 2-16.

The scores:

AUF 73 – Santos 16, Fuertez 14, Carney 13, Manarang 13, Gigante 6, Nacu 5, Musni 2, Henson 2, Dumlao 2, Cayanan 0, Maniago 0, Perez 0, Sazon 0.

Perpetual Help 66 - Elopre 19, Carrullo 19, Roño 8, Ynion 4, Sicat 4, Liaz 3, Salvado 3, Hainga 2, Salanga 2, Vivero 2, Galabin 0.

Quarter scores: 17-24, 30-34, 45-50, 73-66.

The Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals avenged their first round defeat to Arellano University with a thrilling 86-81 win last October 5, 2009 at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.

What was a no-bearing game after since both teams have been knocked out of contention turned out to be a closely-fought game. The matchup, which saw nine deadlocks and 13 lead changes, was a slugfest from the get-go. EAC and Arellano went toe-to-toe in the first half, with Generals big man Dhan Diolanto launching a basket to give his team a 38-37 first half lead.

EAC stood its ground in the second half, and built the biggest lead of the game at seven, 77-70 with 3:32 in the payoff period after a Claude Cubo basket.

Argel Mendoza asserted his might as he again led the Generals with 29 points and four boards alongside four assist to help EAC nail its sixth win against 11 setbacks. Gio Ciriacruz led the Chiefs with 28 points and 10 boards. Coach Junjie Ablan’s troops finished their maiden NCAA campaign with a respectable 8-10 mark.

“Payback time. That’s what we wanted to happen today. We wanted this win to improve our standings. Before this game, we were already practicing twice a day, one at 6:30 a.m. and one at 3 p.m. Nothing personal with AU [I’m on leave at the Arellano University Law School]. I wanted the team to have a high morale against a top team. Though we have a slim chance [of beating JRU] we’d still take it. Argel Mendoza has been lifting the team [and would be MVP] if only he’s eligible and if only we made it to the Final Four. It’s already an honor for EAC to have 1 of the players in the top five.”

The scores:

EAC 86 – Mendoza 29, Santos 16, Chiong 13, R. Yaya 7, L. Yaya 7, Jabaybay 5, Cubo 5, Diolanto 4, Liwag 0, del Rosario 0.

Arellano 81 – G. CIriacruz 28, Celada 13, Rivera 10, Miranda 9, Apostol 9, I. Ciriacruz 8, Virtudazo 2, Agustin 2, Tayongtong 0, Reducto 0, Catapang 0, Anquilo 0.

Quarter scores: 16-17, 38-37, 61-61, 25-20.

Presenting, the UAAP Men’s Basketball tournament All-Disappointing Team:

At guard, Leo Canuday of Adamson University. Five years ago, Canuday burst on the scene with so much potential and hype. His early mistakes, observers charged to lack of maturity and experience. However, in his fifth and final season, being one of the veterans for the Falcons, Canuday showed that he still plays exactly the same way, error-prone and out-of-control. He oftentimes left coach Leo Austria shaking his head. While he did end up third on his team in scoring (9.2 ppg), he shot only thirty-one percent (31%) from the field and played matador defense. He did not distribute the ball and orchestrate the offense, and he did not produce at the two position either – not a good way to end a collegiate career.

At the other guard, Clark Bautista of UST. After showing so much potential last year, hitting big shots and lighting up the scoreboard with occasional scoring binges, especially from beyond the arc, Tata shot a little less than 34 percent from the field, norming just 7.2 ppg. Some point to the fact that his minutes were down from last year, but precisely, his minutes were down because his production was, too. Once featured as one of the “players to watch” on the college basketball show One U, and expected to open things up for Ababou in the shaded area, Bautista still has a chance to redeem himself in the future. But basing it on this season, surely, he was a disappointment for Tiger fans.

At one forward spot, James Mangahas of De La Salle University. This fellow has got to be the biggest disappointment of the season, by far. Already a big part of a winning tradition, and expected to lead a young but promising DLSU team to, at the least, the Final Four, Mangahas was the epitome of failure under pressure, lacking the character and willingness to step forward and accept the role of main man for the Archers. Many times, he stepped away from the action, preferring to watch the younger players try to fashion out a win, when he should have demanded the ball and shown the skills everyone knows he has. He normed only 7.9 ppg, good for only third on the team, on pathetic 34 percent shooting, only 21 percent from three-point range, and, worst of all, 54 percent from the free throw line. And he did all of this in a team-leading 22 minutes of action per game. No wonder DLSU had such a terrible season.

At forward/center, Magi Sison of the University of the Philippines. Sure, nobody expected UP to make any noise this season, and to a large extent, they were right. UP can boast of having beaten both Ateneo and DLSU, but unfortunately, that did not take the Maroons out of the cellar. However, Magi Sison, the tallest man on the roster and a member of the Smart Gilas national team, was expected to show marked improvement. Everybody knows he will never be a low-post banger, but he also did not deliver from the perimeter, where he is allegedly more comfortable. Despite towering over his opponents, he scored only 6 ppg. He did collect 6 rpg, although with his size, Maroons supporters definitely expected more. He was not an intimidating presence on defense, with opponents driving straight at him and daring him to block their shots. Defenders purposely fouled him, owing to his inexcusable 36 percent free-throw shooting.

At center, Michael Galinato of Adamson. It is so frustrating to watch Galinato play. He has the size, some skills, and you can see on his face that he is really trying. But, for someone who has shown an inside presence in the past and who was expected to be the main post threat for the Falcons, like Bautista earlier, his minutes went down due to poor production. He averaged only 4.2 ppg, on 34 percent shooting. Worse, he corralled less than 4 rpg, outrebounded by some of his smaller teammates. With all the close games of Adamson, if only Galinato played as big as he is, they may have pulled a few of those out.

Additional notes: Jewel Ponferrada of National University, and Bader Malabes and Simon Atkins of DLSU, and JR Cawaling of FEU were also considered. However, looking back, they were never really expected to be main men for their teams. They had their failings in the past and, overall, did not have seasons as disappointing as those who made the team since expectations for them here were not as high. Ponferrada had a hot start, but tapered off in the end and, in fact, had a pretty good season (7.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg). As for Atkins and Malabes, some green-minded folk has already politely asked them to leave. Cawaling almost made this list. He could be considered the sixth man.

Regarding Mark Andy Barroca, his season was disappointing in that he surely did not meet the pre-season MVP expectations that many placed upon him. But in several games, he was productive and even clutch. As to the allegations of game-fixing/point-shaving, he is still innocent until proven guilty. Disappointing? Yes. Enough to be on this team, no.

And now, the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament All-Disappointing Team:

Take note, some of these guys may still have something to show since the NCAA season is not yet over. And, in truth, practically every player who was expected to lead his team has done so this season. In fact, some have been even bigger than expected. This NCAA All-Disappointing Team is composed of players that should have been a big part of their team’s rotations, providing more than adequate support numbers to their main men. However, it has not turned out that way at all. Without regard to positions, the players are:

Borgie Hermida of the defending champion San Beda Red Lions. Ok, ok…so he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury only a few months ago. They said he may not be back for this season, but he did come back, and is averaging almost 18 minutes of playing time. Did he come back too soon? He had a career year last season, but his production has surely dipped from last year’s. He is averaging less than 6 ppg, shooting 34 percent overall. Of course San Beda has a bunch of players on whom it can rely, and its record speaks volumes of how good a team it is, despite the loss of stars from last year’s third championship run. But Hermida is only a bit player on this year’s stage.

Jeff Morial of the College of Saint Benilde. The disappointment with this fellow is that, despite averaging 14 ppg and 4 rpg, he failed to bring it every night. He had two 30-point games, but lacked consistency and definitely fell in love with the three-point shot, settling for the bomb even if there were other clear options. Then, as the season was coming to its end, a “lingering injury,” allegedly involving his knee, shelved him for the remainder of the campaign. According to the CSB coach, surgery is expected soon. Let us see how this guy can bounce back stronger, more productive and less disappointing. However, that won’t be in the NCAA as this is his final year.

Reymar Gutilban of Colegio de San Juan de Letran. Gutilban is already in his fifth year in the league, playing about 17 minutes per game. However, he averages just 5.1 ppg on 28 percent shooting overall. Once thought of as a capable third gunner to back up RJ Jazul and Rey Guevarra, Gutilban has not fulfilled the role, and, in the process, Letran has suffered.

Ilie Johnston of CSB. Johnston is a fifth-year man, formerly from the UAAP’s Adamson Baby Falcons. He has the body, and some serious skills, but he averaged under 10 ppg, shooting barely 40 percent from the field, mostly due to his ten percent 10 percent three-point shooting clip. He did average 4.5 rpg. He is very reminiscent of former Adamson men’s player Marc Agustin – you know he has it, but he fails to show it all the time. Worse, like Morial, Johnston will not finish the season as an injury has ended his college career. Some say it is due to a bad attitude. Whatever the real reason for his early exit, it is CSB and hardworking Coach Richard del Rosario that, after a strong start, suffered yet another disappointing season.

John Foronda of CSJL. He is averaging about 6 rpg, which is fine, but definitely nothing great. This guy is big, 6’5” at least, so, like in the case of Galinato, the fans expect so much more. And he just is not a low-post player, although he loves to get down in the block, asking for the ball. He shoots 41 percent from the field in almost 20 minutes of action each game. Sometimes, his low-post game borders on comical, and the fans have let out a chuckle or two whenever he tries to operate down low. The desire, however, is there. Execution is the problem.

Additional notes: Players from the guest teams (Arellano University, Angeles University Foundation and Emilio Aguinaldo College) were not considered, since even if they were expected to be the vital cogs for their teams, they never played NCAA ball before. For them, being disappointments was kind of expected. Of course some of them really proved that they belong in the “big leagues.” Cheers to those guys that did perform and open the eyes of the NCAA fans to their great play. Lots of things yet to happen in the NCAA. Can Baste make it all the way? Or are they some sort of UE two years ago all over again? So many so-called experts are saying JRU goes all the way this year. We will see. Has everyone counted out Beda already?

Thanks to Chris Soler for the additional info for this article.

After 8,622 points, 5,353 rebounds, 1,709 assists and 61 games, 2,400 seconds will decide the fate of two teams with a combined 22 UAAP seniors titles to determine one champion. A mouthful, eh? In a nutshell, that’s Season 72, and all the hustle and bustle will come to a conclusion in a winner-take-all Game 3.

With just a solitary game left in the 2009 UAAP calendar, it wouldn’t hurt to dish out one last survival guide, or souvenir program, for both Blue and Red. So far, our Bucket List has held water. To recap:

1. The team that’s played like Far Eastern University in the Final Four has lost on both occasions. In Game 1, UE looked tentative offensively and settled for those outside shots. Its patented dribble penetrations were absent. Last Sunday, Ateneo was reduced by that stifling Warrior zone defense to a jump-shooting team. The entry pass to the post was as difficult for the Blue Eagles to execute as getting Allen Iverson to attend practice.

2. The unit that has held its opponent to a sub-par shooting performance has won both games. Ateneo held UE to just 34.2 percent shooting from the field in Game 1. Coach Lawrence Chongson’s unit then returned the favor in Game 2, limiting the Blue Eagles to 34.7 percent.

3. The five that’s taken the better shots, and more accurately at that, has won every game. The defending champions hit 42.4 percent of their attempts in Game 1, while UE rattled in a torrid 51.1 percent in the next game. Beyond the numbers, the Blue Eagles, in Game 2, looked as if they’d have a difficult time guarding a chair.

4. The better rebounding unit hasn’t lost. Ateneo had the edge, 50-42 in Game 1 while UE won the battle of the boards in Game 2, 41-33.

Decisive knockout games, however, entail that unique, extra hit. Both schools have given us some hints as to what that final blow looks like, or, conversely, how they’ll fold when that lethal strike hits them.

Ateneo’s final blow: More fluid ball movement. By all accounts, Chongson will live and die with a zone since his wards give up a few inches with a man-to-man. So far, and especially in Game 2, the Blue and White’s ball rotation has been dismal.

In general, teams play zone defense to 1) prevent the opponent from passing the ball inside; and 2) force that opponent to hoist up outside shots. And guess what? Ateneo has fallen for both so far. A case in point: In Game 2, UE had Ateneo on the ropes, but only by a manageable 10 points after three quarters. Instead of even trying to establish Rabeh Al-Hussaini on the post, the Blue Eagles took higher percentage shots [i.e. outside shots = greater chance of missing]. In fact, the 2008 Most Valuable Player had just seven touches of the ball in the final period. Yes, seven, and that’s already including possessions after offensive rebounds. In those seven touches, Al-Hussaini got the ball in the post only twice, and did not back down to make a move on both occasions. And, the 6-foot-7 stalwart only sat down with a little more than a minute left in that period.

Granted, UE’s zone is making Al-Hussaini look like Toni Kukoc of Chicago Bulls fame. But that shouldn’t stop coach Norman Black’s squad from setting him up. Should that prove really difficult, the next best thing would be to move the ball around at a faster pace. One of the best weapons against a zone defense is crisp passing. Sound ball movement forces defenders on a zone to move more. And, in the words of RP Developmental Team assistant coach and good friend Jude Roque, “someone’s bound to be left open when you play zone.”

UE’s final blow: Discipline on both ends. Chongson’s free-flowing offense gives his players a lot of freedom to decide what to do, and how to do it. The result: UE has turned the ball over a combined 22 times in the two games played. That figure is superb, but has to be maintained if the repeat-seekers are to be defeated.

On defense, some trouble spots have already emerged. In the first half of Game 2, UE’s perimeter players left a lot of shooters open. Luckily for them, Ateneo couldn’t buy a basket. But don’t expect that to continue in Game 3; brace for the worst-case. Jai Reyes was able to light up the basket in Game 1 precisely because UE’s zone was careless at times. And in those little times [since Chongson has had that defense working wonders for the most part], Ateneo has capitalized.

Of course, the intangibles are not to be discounted. Momentum, the will to win and nerves of steel are just as important. UE looks to have all that at the moment, but Ateneo did own those things just three days before. That’s how fast things change in the game of basketball, and how small the margin for error is.

Madonna and Justin Timberlake once sang that there are four minutes to save the world. Both Ateneo and UE will have a little more time to save themselves. They’ll have 40 minutes.

Both teams exchanged runs during the first ten minutes of the action, but an Elmer Espiritu triple handed UE its first lead, 11-9 midway through the quarter. Ateneo’s Eman Monfort canned a basket to open the second quarter, but UE kept the game close as Pari Llagas, along with shock troopers Erwin Duran and Lucas Tagarda, kept the Recto unit in good stead. Nonoy Baclao and Jai Reyes combined for five markers to end the half, 40-38, in favor of the Blue and White.

The third quarter, though, saw a more vigorous Red Warrior squad as they took hold of the momentum and attacked a porous Ateneo defense. Paul Lee scored on two consecutive baskets to open the quarter and the team blitzed its way to a 7-0 run in a three-minute stretch that resulted in a 10-point bulge, 63-53, to end the period. UE rolled through the final quarter, with Espiritu punctuating the Warriors’ dominance with an alley-oop slam off a lob by Lee.

Espiritu, recipient of the Defensive Player of the Season award, registered a game-high 22 points, with Llagas tallying 19. Rabeh Al-Hussaini, with 19 points, was the leading scorer for the Blue Eagles. Coach Lawrence Chongson’s squad registered 12 fastbreak points and 17 turnover points, a far cry from Ateneo’s eight and five in those two departments, respectively.

“They [Llagas and Espiritu] delivered big time ever since yung second round. Aalis na lang kayo, what will differentiate you guys from the previous team? Don’t you have the fervor? Ito yung lagi kong pinupush sa nga utak nila, to make a difference. [We wanted to] reduce yung output ni Rabeh against us, we tried to contain that. Val Acuña helped, pati si Erwin Duran tumulong pa. Lahat ng klaseng tulong kailangan namin. Finals na ‘to. 20 years na, kelan pa? [referring to the championship title]”, commented Chongson after the game.

The deciding Game 3 will be this Thursday, October 8 at 3:30 p.m., also at the Big Dome. UE last won a UAAP championship in 1985. All in all, the Red Warriors have won three playoff games this year. Before Season 72, they had won only one game postseason game since the inception of the Final Four format in 1994.

Ateneo, meanwhile, lost for just the third time in 34 UAAP games dating back to last year. Its 20-point defeat was the second most lopsided in Finals history since the Final Four format, trailing only the 72-47 De La Salle University victory over Far Eastern University in Game 1 of the 1998 championship.

The scores:

UE 88 - Espiritu 22, Llagas 19, Lee 13, Acuña 12, Lingganay 7, Reyes 6, Zamar 5, Duran 4, Tagarda 0, Bandaying 0

Ateneo 68 - Al-Hussaini 18, Monfort 12, Reyes 11, Baclao 10, Austria 6, Salamat 4, Long 3, Chua 2, Buenafe 2, Sumalinog 0, Salva 0

Quarter scores: 18-15, 38-40, 63-53, 88-68.

The Blue Eagles took home Game 1 of the UAAP Season 72 juniors finals via an 80-73 decision over De La Salle Zobel last October 3, 2009 at the San Juan Arena. Junior swingman Kiefer Ravena was a cut above the rest as he tore the Junior Archer defense apart with pull-up jumpers, aerial acrobatics and a couple of crunch time inside incursions that put away the 2005 and 2007 high school kings. Ravena, son of former pro Bong, tallied an impressive stat line of 33 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three blocks and three steals.

Ateneo, which lead by as many as 10 midway through the fourth period, felt the DLSZ heat as guard Nico Elorde hit a triple that cut into the Katipunan advantage, 70-66 at the three-minute mark. Ravena then took Elorde one-on-one and scored on two consecutive penetrations that gave the Blue Eaglets some breathing room. The Junior Archers once again threatened after an Elorde basket, 76-73 with a minute left, but blew their chance to inch closer after Luigi dela Paz bobbled what looked like a sure lay-up. Ravena then canned two out of four charities before Charles Dumrique stormed out of a tight Zobel defensive set for a breakaway lay-in that buried coach Boris Aldeguer’s troops.

Burly big man Al Bugarin, one of 10 graduating Eaglets, registered a double-double with 10 points and 14 boards. Elorde, meanwhile, paced the Junior Archers with 18 markers but found minimal support, particularly from leading scorer Gwyne Capacio, who scored 15 points but on a measly 3-for-17 shooting clip. Ateneo’s stifling defense forced DLSZ to commit 22 turnovers and shoot just 35.2 percent overall from the field.

Game 2 of the juniors finals is set this Tuesday, October 6, also at the San Juan Arena.

Meanwhile, San Beda Rizal banked on the endgame heroics of guard Roldan Sara to deny Colegio de San Juan de Letran an outright seat in the NCAA juniors Finals with a nail-biting 92-91 win last October 2, also at the Arena. With the score tied at 89, feisty Red Cubs guard Baser Amer drove toward his right and drew two defenders at the corner, which left Sara open on the wing. Sara then took an Amer pass and hit a trey to give the Taytay five a 92-89 edge with 4.7 ticks left on the clock. Letran big man Mark Cudal converted on a quick two on the other end but it was not enough as San Beda snapped the Muralla unit’s 17-game win run and, subsequently, forced a Final Four instead of a stepladder post-season format.

Sara, after the game, said, “I feel glad na nanalo kami. We play as a team. We play with heart. Masasabi ko lang na itong game na to, nagpapatunay na the best pa din kami. It feels good kasi pinaghirpan namin ito. We’ve been practicing for one week. Kasi nga may bagyo but we still practiced hard. Kahit may bagyo, practice pa rin para ma-beat lang namin sila at ma-accomplish naming ang goal namin as one team.

Sara paced the Red Cubs with 26 points, while Amer finished with 23. Letran swingman Jarelan Tampus carried the fight for coach Elmer Latonio’s erstwhile unbeaten squad with 29 markers.

Letran, at 17-1, is followed by San Beda. The Red Cubs will put their 16-1 record on the line in their final game, which is against the 12-4 San Sebastian College-Recoletos Staglets. Jose Rizal University has a one game lead over University of Perpetual Help System Dalta for the last Final Four slot. The Light Bombers are 10-6, while the Altalettes are 9-7.

With reports from Christian Soler and Anton Roxas

The scores:

UAAP Finals: Game 1

Ateneo 80 - Ravena 33, Bugarin 10, Sinco 8, Pessumal 8, Banal 6, Dumrique 6, Reyes 5, Pe 4, Unson 0, Tenorio 0, Erazo 0, Romero 0, Capacio 0, Daez 0, Alonte 0, Armena 0.

De La Salle Zobel 73 - Elorde 18, Capacio 15, Van Opstal 12, Fortuna 12, dela Paz 12, Sevilla 2, Roxas 2, Park 0, Herrera 0.

Quarter scores: 23-19, 38-38, 56-49, 80-73.

NCAA Season 85 elimination round game

SBC 92 – Sara 26, Amer 23, Gotladera 14, Abatayo 8, Ludovice 7, Javier 6, Moralde 3, Amin 3, dela Cruz 2, Chavez 0, Monteclaro 0.

CSJL 91 – Tampus 29, Khobuntin 18, Cruz 15, Ongteco 12, Iñigo 11, Cabahug 3, Cudal 3, Maravilla 0, So 0, Medina 0, Roxas 0, Cabigas 0.

Quarter scores: 21-22, 35-39, 61-59, 92-91.

The Red Lions took advantage of the ejection of Letran head coach Louie Alas and mercilessly pounded on his team, 76-64, in elimination round of the 85th Season of the NCAA last October 2 at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.

Alas was sent packing by the referees in the opening quarter. He incurred his first technical with under three minutes remaining after reacting to an unsportsmanlike foul called on Rey Guevarra, who got entangled with Sudan Daniel on a rebound play. He then received a second technical with 40. 9 seconds left after contesting a no-call on a miscue involving San Beda guard Garvo Lanete and Aloysius Taplah.

San Beda then got its rhythm going after Letran lost its momentum. The Red Lions put the cuffs on the Knights, who managed to score a season-low 22 first half points. The biggest lead of the game for the Red Lions stood at 27, 59-32 late in the third period. The Muralla five attempted a comeback with a 15-4 run at the five-minute mark of the fourth quarter, with all 15 points coming from three-point territory. Rome de la Rosa, a rookie out from San Diego, poured in a career-high 18 points and grabbed five boards. Bam Gamalinda and Jake Pascual combined for 29 points and 24 boards to help the cause of the defending champions. RJ Jazul led the Knights with 25 points, four boards and four steals to lead the Knights.

Things took an ugly turn late in the game when Guevarra, Letran’s second-leading scorer, landed awkwardly on his left knee after driving down the lane. He grimaced in pain and did not return.

San Beda coach Frankie Lim, who has not lost to Letran since 2007, said, “It was a great first half. Sudan even got limited time in the first half but the other guys [Rome, Bambam, Jake] stepped up and delivered. We’ve solved the pressure defense of Letran [where they only have 2 kinds, tough and very tough] and so eventually we got into our game. It’s just sad that coach Louie got tossed out and Guevarra got hurt, I hope it’s nothing serious. Rome had an A-game. And I also told the team that our last two games are crucial. I also reminded them before the game that we have to be in control. Good thing the players responded. We had a good third quarter, so coming into the fourth, we knew we couldn’t be dissolved because of the big lead that we have established. [On their next game against SSCR] We will strive hard for first place. We’ll have to make stops on Aquino and Semira, and control the boards, which is very important. A lot of people thought we’re not as strong like our team last year, although if you’ll use equations, it’ll seems like yes we’re weaker than last year but the guys delivered, especially those who are playing their final year. They want to prove a point and of course win.”

The win temporarily puts San Beda in solo second spot at 15-2, a half game ahead of idle Jose Rizal University, which carries a 14-2 record. Letran, meanwhile, awaits the team that tops the elimination round as it heads to the Final Four with the number four seed locked up and a 12-6 card.

The scores:

San Beda 76 – De la Rosa 18, Lanete 16, Gamalinda 15, Pascual 14, Tecson 4, Hermida 4, Daniel 3, Marcelo 2, Tirona 0, Caram 0.

Letran 64 – Jazul 25, Guevarra 9, Foronda 5, del Rosario 5, Gutilban 4, Cortes 4, K. Alas 4, J. Alas 3, Malabago 3, Taplah 2, Belencion 0, Datang 0.

Quarter scores: 26-14, 45-22, 64-39, 76-64.

After winning just one out of their first 13 games, the Cardinals have finally taken flight as they won their fourth straight ballgame, 91-77 against the lowly Angeles University Foundation Great Danes at the resumption of NCAA Season 85 play last October 2, 2009 at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.

The Intramuros five had full control of the game thanks to its balanced scoring attack, which kept the Great Danes inside the proverbial dog pound. Mark Acosta, the team’s leading scorer, led the way with 12 points while Allan Mangahas contributed 11. Mark Sarangay, Erwin Cornejo and Rodel Ranises each had 10 markers.

Emotions, however, reached fever pitch in the fourth quarter as Acosta and AUF’s Guian Fuertez were assessed technical fouls with 13.5 ticks left and the outcome of the game already secure. Things got uglier with about four ticks left as Great Danes forward Chucky Gomez struck Mapua rookie Andretti Stevens near the throat with his forearm. That triggered a near-bench-clearing brawl, which saw Gomez incur a disqualifying foul. Fuertez, Limmuel Manarang and Jon Cayanan were all thrown out for entering the playing court, with Cornejo getting the same penalty on the side of the Cards.

Mapua head coach Chito Victolero stated that his team has learned from its mistakes in the first round.
“Nung una, di namin makuha yung finishing touch. Ngayon lang kami nakaka-finish ng laro na hindi na-ra-rattle ang mga bata. Ngayon pa lang nag-peak ang team patapos na ang season.”

“Sinabi ko sa kanila na i-respeto kung sino man ang makakalaban namin. Di kami tumitingin sa kung sino yung kalaban o kung ano ba ang nagagawa ng kalaban namin kasi ang goal ko ngayon is kung papano kami makikipag-compete at hindi dahil sa malakas o mahina ang kalaban. Kaya kailangan itaas namin yung emotions namin para yung aggressiveness and energy namin hindi mawala. So I challenged each and every one of them to work on our character and the character of our team. Kaya medyo emotional ang laro nila dahil ayokong nag-rerelax sila o ma-overconfident,” he added.

With the win, Mapua improved its record to 5-12, giving itself a decent shot at entering the Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) this coming November. Teams that finish the NCAA at 5th and 6th will be assured of berths to the Wildcard phase of the tournament.

But, the former NCAA champion and pro baller insisted that their focus is merely winning the remaining games on their schedule in preparation for next season.

“Now, hindi namin pinag-uusapan yon (PCCL). Pero syempre alam ko alam na rin ng mga bata pati na rin ang mga coaching staff. Pero actually di ko sinasabi sa kanila na meron kaming chance sa PCCL. Ang gusto ko lang is to every day and every practice to improve yung character namin at individually nag-iimprove sila. Ang team ko ngayon, parang learning experience namin yan lalo na sa mga bata. Actually, maganda ring motivation ang PCCL. Alam na nila yon pero hindi ko lang binabanggit.”

The Cardinals’ final game is set on Friday, October 9 against the College of St. Benilde Blazers, who are also in contention for a spot in the PCCL. Their record currently stands at 5-11.

Matt Carney’s 21 points paced AUF, which is on an all-time league worst 15-game losing skid, fell to 1-16. The Danes still have a chance to end the season with a win as they play their final game against the Perpetual Help Altas on Monday, October 5.

The scores:

Mapua 91 – Acosta 12, Mangahas 11, Sarangay 10, Cornejo 10, Ranises 14, Guillermo 9, Pascual 8, Stevens 6, Cinco 6, Parala 5, Soriano 4, Maniego 0.

AUF 77 – Carney 21, Nacu 16, Santos 12, Musni 11, Gomez 8, Henson 4, Gigante 2, Cayanan 2, Maniago 1, Fuertez 0, Manarang 0, Dumlao 0.

Quarter scores: 21-17, 44-33, 65-52, 91-77.

Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Jai Reyes exploded for 8-points and 6-points respectively in the 4th Quarter to counter the Red Warriors’ end game surge.

Jai Reyes converted 5 of Ateneo’s 6 3-point shots in the 2nd half, is playing his final year for the reigning UAAP Champions.

After a 24-11 Ateneo lead to end the 1st Quarter, the Red Warriors ignited a 19-1 tear in the 2nd quarter to finish the 1st half with a one point UE lead 35-34. Rudy Lingganay led the blitz for UE with 9-points in the 2nd period.  Ateneo’s biggest lead of the game stood at 16-points, 31-15 a little over 6 minutes before the end of the 1st half.

The Red Warriors were able to close in on the Blue Eagles by cutting their deficit down to just 4-points, 75-71 with 52 seconds remaining in the final quarter after a three-pointer from Val Acuna.

First UAAP Season Head Coach Lawrence Chongson, who absorbed his first loss in the Finals said, “We came here not to challenge them but to win. It’s disappointing. They made big shots when it mattered, and we had difficulty in matching up with their size”.

“Even with today’s loss, we can now say we can compete with a tall team like Ateneo. The downside for us is that we tend to be tentative at times. Even if we knew the Rabeh Al Hussaini will eventually get his numbers, we did not make the necessary adjustments”, Coach Chongson added.

Rabeh Al-Hussaini, also playing his final year with the Blue Eagles, scored 28 points- the 3rd highest scoring output in the Finals series since 2005 – added 14 rebounds and 2 Assists.  Jai Reyes had 17 points and 5 rebounds with 4 assists.
Paul Lee led UE with 15 points and 8 rebounds with Pari Llagas adding 13 points. Val Acuna had a double-double performance for the Red Warriors with 13 points and 11 rebounds to his credit.

“During halftime, I encouraged them that we are still in the game. It’s a big game for Jai especially his outside shooting, considering his experience (being trapped in their home during Typhoon Ondoy). We expect UE to bounce back on Sunday but we will also make the necessary adjustments”, said Ateneo Head Coach Norman Black.

BOX SCORES:

ATENEO 78 – Al Hussaini 28, Reyes 17,  Salva 8, Buenafe 6, Austria 6, Long 3, Baclao 3, Salamat 2, Chua 2, Sumalinog 0, Monfort 0.

UE 71 – Lee 15, Llagas 13, Acuna 13, Reyes 11, Lingganay 9, Espiritu 8, Acibar 2, Zamar 0, Bandaying 0.

QUARTER SCORES: 24-11, 34-35, 57-53, 78-71.

The three-time defending champions forced a playoff game for the number one seed in the Final Four of this 85th NCAA Season by defeating San Sebastian College 71-67, last Monday. Two days later, San Beda College defeated them once again, 71-65 last Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan City. The once seemingly invincible San Sebastian College – Recoletos Golden Stags have lost two games in a row for the first time this season.

This victory earned the Red Lions their fourth straight number one seeding at the end of the elimination round and third straight with Head Coach Frankie Lim as the man calling the shots in the sidelines.

“For the third straight time, we finished the eliminations number one. We take pride in that. I’m happy for the boys because for the first time after a lousy foul shooting game, especially the last game. We shot like 48 percent from the foul line. Tonight, we got less attempts from the foul line but we shot 86 percent.  It’s just unbelievable that the other team got a lot of opportunities at the foul line but then again, it’s our toughness. The guys were tough. They didn’t back down on the kind of physical play that the other team brings. They deserve to be number one,” said the proud coach after the game.

After a very low scoring first quarter for both teams, veteran Borgie Hermida utilized his experience and ignited a strong second quarter charge by leading the way for San Beda scoring 8 points. He finished with a season-high 18 points.

“Borgie is playing very well, Dela Rosa is playing very well and that’s good for us. They know the importance of the game. They don’t want to lose, you can just see it in thier eyes. That’s one thing that’s very nice about these guys. They follow orders, said Coach Frankie Lim.

Rookie Rom Dela Rosa chipped in with 12 points and played excellent defense on San Sebastian’s Jimbo Aquino. Aquino appeared tight and frustrated due to the defensive schemes put up by the Red Lions. Dela Rosa and JR Tecson took turns in defending one of the league’s leading scorers averaging 20-3 points per game.

With 6:10 remaining in the 3rd Quarter, an unexpected mental mistake struck a big blow against the Golden Stags. After playing with so much poise under pressure for the entire season, the struggling Jimbo Aquino who had difficulty figuring out the San Beda defense threw a forearm at Jake Pascual. The referees ejected him from the ball game. This may have hurt the graduating forward’s chances of winning the MVP award this season. He left the game with a season-low 5 points.

Despite the absence of their leader, the Golden Stags still fought valiantly and even cut the San Beda lead to a single point, 66-65 with a tip-in by Calvin Abueva.  But, this would be the last basket of San Sebastian. A Jake Pascual jumper with 2:46 remaining extended the lead to three, 68-65. Pascual followed it up with an emphatic block on Abueva that resulted in loud screams of victory from the San Beda faithful.

The Final Four is now set with San Beda enjoying a twice-to-beat advantage over the number four seed Letran Knights. On the other hand, the number two seed San Sebastian will take on last year’s runner’s ups, the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers. The games will begin on Friday, October 14, 2009 at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.

“So, Friday we’re playing Letran. I know Guevarra is not showing up because he had an injury but just the same, alam mo na ang Letran. Once they play San Beda, kahit undermanned yan, nagiiba laro niyan. Everybody gets better.  So, we just have to face that challenge and try to give them a good game. Hopefully, we can finish it off on Friday to get to the finals,” said Coach Frankie Lim.

In the juniors division, the San Beda Red Cubs clinched the number one spot entering the Final Four by dismantling the Letran Squires, 91-77. Both teams were tied at the end of the elimination round with identical 17-1 records. The exciting backcourt tandem of Baser Amer and Roldan Sara combined for 40 big points with Amer scoring a team-high 25 points for the Red Cubs. The third seed San Sebastian Golden Staglets and fourth seed JRU Light Bombers complete the Final Four cast in the juniors division.

The scores:

SBC 71 – Hermida 18, Dela Rosa 12, Pascual 8, Gamalinda 8, Marcelo 8, Daniel 6, Lanete 4, Tecson 3, Caram 2, Tirona 2.

SSC-R 65 – Abueva 13, Del Rio 13, Bulawan 11, Pascual 9, Sangalang 6, Aquino 5, Raymundo 3, Maconocido 3, Semira 2, Gatchalian E. 0, Najorda 0.

Quarter scores: 6-6, 28-22, 52-45, 71-65.

College Basketball fans and spectators are encouraged to bring whatever they can to help the victims and the unfortunate.

It has been reported that the NCAA is also organizing an activity in their venue but will announce formally in the coming hours about their plans.