This NCAA Finals Advancer appears in the Friday October 15, 2010 edition of the Business Mirror.
San Beda shoots for double championship in today’s NCAA Finals
by rick olivares
Unless the San Sebastian Stags play the perfect game today, the town and the NCAA will be painted red when the San Beda Red Lions go for the jugular in Game Two of the Season 86 Seniors’ Basketball tournament at the Araneta Coliseum.
In three games thus far - including the elimination round – the Stags have mostly outrebounded the Red Lions, had four players in double figures, and have tried mixed martial arts moves and cheap shots, but the boys from Mendiola have still emerged unscathed en route to an incredible 17-0 record. With a win today, they will not only have the NCAA’s single season record for consecutive wins and an undefeated season, but their 15th seniors crown.
In the Juniors Division, the defending champion Red Cubs also look to wrap up their defense of the crown with a win over the San Sebastian Staglets. After two close clashes in the elimination round, the boys of first year head coach Britt Reroma blew the Staglets off the court with an 89-64 win capped by the stellar performance of Juniors MVP Baser Amer who tallied 14 points, 9 rebounds, 18 assists, and 5 steals.
The Staglets Mythical Five selection Gino Jumao-as carried his team with 31 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks.
“We will definitely go for the win,” said Reroma who took the cudgels from the legendary Ato Badolato on this year. Should the Red Cubs win, it will be their 18th NCAA Juniors crown.
“Our backs are against the wall,” said San Sebastian head coach Ato Agustin of his beleaguered defending champions. “We looked tired out there. We couldn’t stop their fastbreaks and probably in desperation, the players went on a lot of one-on-one that sometimes worked but sometimes did not. I told Calvin (Abueva) that I need him to focus more and not engage in any second motions. Nakakasira sa laro.”
For the first time in three matches this season, the Red Lions won the rebounding battle 43-41. But the Stags will have to more than mind the boards because their red and white rivals have had different players stepping up to back up the starters. Lim’s bench contributed 37 points while Agustin’s shock troopers could only muster nine points.
Nine of San Beda head coach Frankie Lim’s boys put points on the board with five of them – Borgie Hermida, Garvo Lanete, league Most Valuable Player Sudan Daniel, Rome dela Rosa, and Anthony Semerad – chipping in double figures.
What has also been crucial for San Beda has been the sparkling play of Hermida’s backup at the point. In the eliminations, Mar Villahermosa played a good 15 minutes while in Game One of the Finals, Anjo Caram quarterbacked for 14 minutes while adding four points, one rebound, three assists, and one steal.
“Now we go for the kill,” said Lim of the task of winning Game Two. “You do not want to give San Sebastian any opportunity to stage a comeback because if there is any team in the league that can do that outside of us, it’s them.”
How good are these Red Lions? After two elimination rounds of play, the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers were adjudged the best defensive team in the NCAA as the Shaw Boulevard squad surrendered only 62.2 points per game. San Beda was a close second after giving up 63.6 points. But in the two meetings between the two squads, the Mendiola-based team 68-52 and 78-46. Both scores by JRU were season lows for them.
The Stags in the meantime, have averaged 72.8, second best behind San Beda’s league leading 84.6. But in the three meetings, the Red Lions have won by an average of 11.3 points.
Is there still hope for San Sebastian to extend the series?
“Sure.” Said Agustin. “But we really need to play that perfect game.”
Game Two of the Juniors series is at 2pm while the Seniors’ clash is at 4pm.
For San Sebastian to win today, they need to play the mother of all perfect games to beat San Beda. Or else it's going to be another red letter day in the NCAA.
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