Games today:
(Filoil EcoOil Centre)
10 a.m. — Mapua vs San Sebastian
1 p.m. — Awarding ceremony
2:30 p.m. — Letran vs Perpetual
Letran College will go for the kill when it collides with University of Perpetual Help System Dalta in Game 2 of Season 99 National Collegiate Athletic Association juniors basketball tournament best-of-three series today at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Game time is set at 2:30 p.m. following the battle for third place between Mapua University and San Sebastian College-Recoletos at 10 a.m. and the awarding ceremony at 1 p.m.
The Squires are expected to play with fire in their eyes.
Despite losing swingman Andy Gemao, the Squires still delivered an impressive performance, winning seven of their nine games in the eliminations.
In the Final Four, they clobbered the Staglets, 91-77, to arrange a final duel against the red-hot Junior Altas bannered by Most Valuable Player frontrunner Amiel Acido.
But the Squires showed up prepared.
Ranged against the hot-shooting Junior Altas squad, the Squires clamped down on Acido while Titing Manalili delivered a remarkable performance to pull off a masterful 97-80 victory in Game 1.
Acido, who has been a solid force to be reckoned with in the eliminations, bled for his points in the first half to finish with a nightmarish 10 points.
The 19-year-old Manalili, meanwhile, was on fire, dropping 20 of his career-high 35 points in the first half with nine rebounds and nine assists while drawing enough support from George Diamante, who chipped in 12 points and 16 rebounds.
Still, Letran coach Allen Ricardo believes that the battle is far from over.
“For me, it’s just one game,” said Ricardo, who will also call the shots for the Knights in Season 100 of the country’s oldest collegiate league.
“Like what I’ve said at the start of the season, it’s all about how you play the game.”
Perpetual mentor Joph Cleofas agreed, saying that they will address their lapses to extend the series to a kill-or-be-killed Game 3 on Saturday at the same San Juan City venue.
“I told them we will just go back to the drawing board and see how we played today and work out where we fell short and hopefully bounce back in Game 2,” said Cleofas, who is hoping for an explosion from Acido, LeBron Daep and JD Pagulayan.
“We’ll just return to practice and work on the things that we need to do and correct and we will just play basketball.”
Cleopas added that the Game 1 setback hardly affected their morale.
“Our morale stays the same. I told them since Day One that win or lose, we should accept it. We win or lose, we approach each game the same. Onto the next game.”
