Blazers trim Cards in preseason tournament
It may look like St. Benilde got some revenge on NCAA Season 100 Finals tormentor Mapua.
But for the Blazers, it’s a victory that doesn’t weigh as much the coaching staff trying to get the team in the right frame of mind.
“We just try to win every game we play [because] it’s not really the same,” coach Charles Tiu said after Benilde’s narrow 58-56 win over the Cardinals on Sunday in the FilOil EcoOil 18th Preseason Cup.
“We didn’t think about it as revenge as much because for us it still doesn’t count because this isn’t the [NCAA] season,” reigning MVP Allen Liwag said after finishing with 11 points, six rebounds and two steals.
The Cardinals needed only two games to finish off the Blazers, which ended a 33-year NCAA title drought for Mapua last year.
Last heartache
And for Benilde, it’s the most recent heartache in a string of bad luck since 2021 when the program started showing signs of potential but has still failed at copping a breakthrough.
The victory, however, gave the Blazers a shot of confidence in their preparations ahead of another crack at a title.
“This is a huge thing for us to bring into the season and added confidence for us,” Liwag said. “We are slowly getting our flow, because we still haven’t built our chemistry yet.”
The preseason also serves as a test for the new talents, as Tiu finalizes his roster that will go to war in a few weeks.
Mapua still had hefty contributions from Ivan Lazarte, who finished with 17 points and Finals MVP Clint Escamis, who added 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists and six steals.
“I enjoy going up against [the Cardinals], against players like Clint, so personally so we’re still happy we came away with the win,” Tiu said.
