Knights, Chiefs, Bombers, and Generals go to war on NCAA Friday

Knights, Chiefs, Bombers, and Generals go to war on NCAA Friday

by rick olivares

With the first round nearly done, the first two slots of the Final Four of Season 86 of the NCAA are looking more and more like automatic berths for San Sebastian and San Beda. Now it’s a scramble for the last two seats. And two other seeded contenders resume their campaign when they take on separate opponents at the San Juan Arena.

The Letran Knights (2-4) take on the Arellano University Chiefs (2-5) at 2pm while the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers (4-2) go to war with the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals (2-4) in the main game at 4pm.

The Knights have been suffering from a power outage on the offensive side of the court and will only be too glad to have second year guard Kevin Alas back from a knee injury that kept him out for two games. “The gap between games gave him time to heal,” said Letran head coach Louie Alas. “We will need him because Frank Dysam and Aloy Taplah have been asked in his absence to carry the load. Focused kami sa game by game pero syempre, we are trying to make it to the Final Four.”

The Chiefs on the other hand have some players who can put the ball into the basket in Isiah Ciriacruz, Andrian Celada, and Vergel Zulueta. But coach Leo Isaac’s charges have been maddeningly inconsistent more so in the final half of games. “College basketball is a forty minute game. What is the point of taking a big lead in the first half if we cannot finish?” asked the exasperated former pro player who also starred for Mapua in the 1980s. In the Chiefs’ last two outings, they spotted San Beda a 12-point lead and were a basket behind 37-35 to San Sebastian after 20 minutes only to lose their grip on the game in the second half.

The Chiefs have also been killed off the boards – 44-33 against the Stags and 62-35 versus the Red Lions.

The EAC Generals in the meantime are fending off coup attempts to their beleaguered coach Nomar Isla who confirmed to BUSINESSMIRROR that there was an attempt to replace him but the team was able to pull off two wins in their last three matches. “I can’t do anything about that,” said Isla while attending the NBA Training camp for college players by Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra at the Araneta Coliseum last Wednesday. “I can only focus on the games that we will try to win one at a time. And hopefully, we can make our adjustments in the second round.”