MANILA, Philippines—Their break was long considering it’s a short season. That’s why San Beda College coach Frankie Lim made sure his Red Lions maximized the layoff.
Whether or not the Red Lions remain sharp after a rousing opening-day win will be known Wednesday when they return from a 10-day break against the Philippine Christian University Dolphins in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
“We worked on our skills and prepared hard for PCU,” Lim said on the eve of their 4 p.m. duel with the Dolphins.
“The players were strictly monitored during practice. I think we have accomplished a lot; we maximized our layoff.”
The two-time defending champion Red Lions brandished a mean run-and-gun game to rout the Mapua Cardinals, 85-56, in the first game of the season last June 28 at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
“We know we might get rusty that’s why we practiced hard to avoid that. Plus, the players are excited to play again,” added Lim.
Two games into their comeback season, the PCU Dolphins, champions in 2004, have yet to break the winning column. They lost to College of St. Benilde, 61-54, on opening-day and Mapua Institute of Technology, 77-71, Wednesday.
The Mapua Cardinals, with a rejuvenated Kelvin dela Peña spearheading the charge, shoot for a third straight victory against University of Perpetual Help at 2 p.m.
Just like the Dolphins, the Cardinals are playing their second game in three days.
But Mapua coach Leo Isaac doesn’t seem to mind.
“We’re okay with the schedule because the players are 100 percent fit,” said Isaac, whose team will also play against St. Benilde on Friday. “This is what we prepared for over the past year.”
Isaac believes Dela Peña is slowly finding his form, after a sluggish start that saw last year’s Most Valuable Player average just nine points in the first two games.
“His composure is coming back,” Isaac said of Dela Peña, who finished with 12 points against the Dolphins. “I understand he was a little eager because of the pressure.”
