St. Benilde and Perpetual Help try to boost their Final Four bids today when they clash with separate rivals in the 90th NCAA basketball tournament at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
The Blazers shoot for solo third against the resurgent Mapua Cardinals at 2 p.m., before the Altas seek to end a two-game slide against the San Sebastian Stags at 4 p.m.
Holding a 9-5 record, the Blazers are also in the hunt for one of the two twice-to-beat incentives that will be given to the top two seeds at the end of the elimination round.
“We’re taking it one game at a time,” said St. Benilde coach Gabby Velasco, whose squad has already surpassed its win total by four victories from last season. “We just want to improve with every game and if it leads us to the Final Four, then we will be very happy.”
But getting past the Cardinals will be a daunting task, with coach Atoy Co’s charges riding high on a three-game winning streak.
The Cardinals have pulled off a string of reversals, including a 91-81 victory over the Altas last Wednesday.
At the forefront of the Cardinals’ resurgence is CJ Isit, who was named NCAA Press Corps Accel Quantum-3XVI Player of the Week after averaging 16.6 points, eight rebounds and close to seven assists in their three-game winning run.
The Blazers have not played since Sept. 6 when they overwhelmed the Arellano Chiefs, 106-97, behind explosive performances from Paolo Taha and Mark Romero. The duo combined for 50 points against the Chiefs.
After starting the season with three straight victories, the Altas have won just five of their last 11 games, leaving them in fifth spot with just four games remaining in their schedule.
But the Altas still boast of one of the league’s most explosive trios in Juneric Baloria, Harold Arboleda and Scott Thompson.
“We cannot afford to lose if we want to make the Final Four,” said Thompson.
The Stags are looking to salvage what’s left of a nightmarish campaign after five straight Final Four appearances, including a championship in 2009. They have dropped their last 10 games and is dead last with a 3-11 card.