Blazers hold Lions in high regard—after sweeping them in elims
Saint Benilde coach Charles Tiu had a friendly conversation with his opposing mentor after his Blazers completed their elimination-round sweep of the defending champion San Beda Red Lions.
“He whispered to me ‘see you in the finals’,” said Tiu about that brief exchange with San Beda coach Yuri Escueta following the Blazers’ 70-62 win on Wednesday in the NCAA Season 100 men’s basketball tournament.
Jhomel Ancheta punctuated his game-high 18 points with a game-clinching three off the glass as the Blazers finally took the fight out of the Lions in the dying seconds, inching their way to a precious twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four.
“I’m not really sure that I want to see them (Lions) in the Finals,” Tiu said with a smile. “But seriously, we just want to be in the championships regardless of who we face.”
The Blazers, jacking up their record to 14-3 at the top, could evade the third-running Lions in the semifinals if they secure the top seed after their final preliminary game opposite the Lyceum Pirates.
Misfiring Lions
Bismarck Lina gave St. Benilde big man Allen Liwag a handful, finishing with 17 points around the rim while James Payosing contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Lions, who captured the title in Season 99 by wiping out Lyceum’s twice-to-beat in the semifinals and beating the Mapua Cardinals in the Finals.
“Obviously, San Beda has been the best program in the NCAA for decades. It’s always tough any time you go up against them,” said Tiu.
“If you look at the stats, they’re the best three-point shooting team in the league, so we wanted to get them off the three-point line. Luckily their shots didn’t go in,” added Tiu.
The Lions buried six threes but misfired the rest of their 21 attempts, including Penny Estacio’s looper under a minute left that could have knotted the count and altered the complexion altogether.
Ranged against the bulky Lina, the 6-foot-6 Liwag, the league’s frontrunner in the MVP race delivered a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds.
“They (Lions) are also the best defensive team and we expected a grind-out game. And we really had a grindout game,” said Tiu.
Winning over the Pirates on Friday could mean cementing the No. 1 spot going into the semifinals for the Blazers while the Mapua Cardinals will settle for second place but also with a similar win-once edge over their foes.
The Lions secured third place after the 18-game elimination round while the Pirates and the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals are in a footrace for the final slot in the Final Four.
