It wasn’t easy but Letran College pulled through.
Syrus Silorio opened the floodgates in the payoff period that effectively took the fight out of University of Perpetual Help System Dalta as the Squires completed a title repeat with a 93-76 blowout in Game 3 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 99 juniors basketball finals Saturday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
The forward poured 13 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter including six straight to start the last canto for Letran’s breakaway after seeing its lead dwindle to just six in the third.
“Winning this championship is tougher than last year. It was definitely a big challenge for me, for us,” Squires head coach Allen Ricardo admitted after the Junior Altas pushed the best-of-three series to a decider.
Silorio bounced back mightily in the winner-take-all game to make up for his blunder in Game 2 where he missed two freethrows in the last nine seconds that could’ve wrapped up the series but instead allowed Perpetual a 91-90 escape.
He shot 12-of-21 from the field, grabbed five rebounds and dished out six assists for the Squires, who hiked their total title haul to 14 overall.
“Honestly, after that loss, the following morning I was really down. We’re down. But I told them I’ll make up for it in Game 3 and I did. This (championship) is for my coaches,” Silorio said.
Graduating Letran veteran Jonathan Manalili finished with 19 points off 8-of-12 shooting clip and was a menace on defense with six steals to go with five assists on his way to winning the Finals Most Valuable Player honors.
Daniel Padilla added 17 markers while George Diamante flirted with a double-double of 11 rebounds and nine points for the Intramuros-based squad.
Letran had some anxious moments in the third quarter after its 13-point lead in the first half was cut down to 63-57 with 3:30 left after Aries Borja scored on a layup.
Manalili put the Squires’ lead back to double digits after draining a late triple heading into the fourth period.
Then Silorio put on a show.
He opened the last 10 minutes of the ballgame with a floater before two more baskets. Padilla also made a 6-0 run of his own to give Letran its biggest lead, 81-62, with just under five minutes left.
The Squires then cruised into the last minutes before celebrating another successful season conquest.
“Going to the second half I told them to hold on, protect the lead and play good defense. I know there were instances that the kids committed mistakes, but I told them that’s part of the game. That’s basketball, it’s a game of mistakes. Just make up for it,” Ricardo said.
“I’m thankful for the boys for pulling us through.”
Letran’s experience spelled the difference in the series.
Perpetual, which made history by making it to the finals for the first time in four decades, just couldn’t deliver as it crumbled under the tremendous pressure of Game 3 witnessed by a packed crowd.
Icee Callangan and Jan Pagulayan led the Junior Altas with 16 points each in an identical 5-of-11 field goal shooting.
Season MVP Amiel Acido also fired 16 markers and pulled down nine rebounds in a lost cause.
