Altas’ Big 3 strike anew, leave Chiefs in its wake

Perpetual Help’s Big Three of Earl Thompson (left), Harold Arboleda (middle) and Juneric Baloria had deliver another big game Monday. Mark Giongco

MANILA, Philippines — Perpetual Help’s troika of Harold Arboleda, Juneric Baloria and Earl Thompson struck again and streaking Arellano ran into a wall in the form of the Altas’ Big Three Monday.

Arboleda and Baloria combined for 54 points and Thompson recorded his second triple-double of the season to lead a 101-86 win over the Chiefs in the NCAA Season 90 men’s basketball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

“I can’t say enough about these three players,” said Perpetual Help head coach Aric del Rosario in Filipino.

But the legendary mentor even compared his three dynamic stars to his former wards and ex pros Dennis Espino, Henry Ong and Bal David, whom he coached during his celebrated coaching stint with the University of Santo Tomas in the 90s.

Arboleda, who was drafted recently by the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters in the PBA, scored a career-high 28 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field that went with 12 rebounds and seven assists while Baloria, who was selected by Blackwater in the third round of the same draft, added 26 points, 14 coming in the pivotal third period, where Perpetual Help pulled away.

Thompson, the top MVP candidate, collected 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists with a steal and two blocks to boot.

“I’m just thinking of how to help the team win. Their defense was all over me so I adjusted and just set my teammates up,” the athletic Thompson said in Filipino.

Justine Alano also had significant contribution with 18 points as he and Arboleda set the tone with 27 points combined in the first two quarters, more than half of Perpetual Help’s halftime output.

The Altas controlled the pace of the game and in the second half, they outran the Chiefs en route to a big win that put them just a game behind in second place with an 8-4 record.

Arellano mounted a comeback in the final frame but ran out of steam late and that’s when Perpetual Help saw blood in the water and went on a 10-0 finishing kick for a 99-81 buffer with 1:34 remaining.

“We rested [Arboleda, Baloria and Thompson] before fielding them back in and they were fresh down the stretch,” said del Rosario, whose team cruised to its third straight victory and ended Arellano’s four-game winning run. “Our plan was to outrun them. We disrupted their tempo.”

“We were focused and we just don’t want to lose to them again,” said Arboleda, who helped avenge an 85-97 loss to the Chiefs in the first round.

John Pinto had 17 points, four rebounds and seven assists for the Chiefs, who remained in solo second at 9-3 but gave San Beda breathing space at the top, before fouling out in a crucial stretch in the fourth period.

The fourth-year swingman Thompson tallied 15 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists in a win over Emilio Aguinaldo College in the first round.

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