Red Lions out to seal No. 1 seed vs Chiefs

DEFENDING champion San Beda tries to seal the top seeding in the Final Four as it battles resurgent Arellano at the end of the elimination round in the 89th NCAA basketball tournament at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

Fresh from a 76-72 overtime conquest of fierce rival Letran last Monday, the Red Lions shoot for a 15th win in the 6 p.m. duel with the Chiefs, who are already out of contention despite a four-game winning streak.

“It’s all about pride for my players,” said San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez, referring to their goal of nailing the No. 1 seeding at the end of the elimination round. “It (the top seeding) will give us confidence in the Final Four.”

A loss by the Lions will forge a playoff for the No. 1 seeding against the Letran Knights, who wrapped up the eliminations with a 14-4 mark.

The third and fourth seeds have yet to be determined with Perpetual Help and San Sebastian also disputing the No. 3 seed in a playoff on Tuesday.

In the second game, Emilio Aguinaldo College hopes to end its campaign on a positive note against a Mapua team that only has two wins to show so far this season.

The Lions are expected to have their hands full against the Chiefs who are also gunning for their best finish in five seasons in the league.

“We just want to finish the season strong,” said Chiefs coach Koy Banal, who will again rely on John Pinto, Prince Caperal and James Forrester. “The pressure is on (San Beda).”

Ola Adeogun will be a source of concern for the Chiefs after the Nigerian delivered 26 points and hauled down 26 rebounds against Letran last Monday.