Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
DE LA SALLE looks to make up for the disappointment in last year’s finals against an Arellano squad seeking history when the two teams dispute the crown in the Filoil Flying V Premier Cup.
The Green Archers are slight favorites in the 4 p.m. clash at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan, having gone unbeaten in nine matches in the pre-season tournament, including an impressive 92-77 triumph over fierce rival Ateneo in the semifinals last Friday.
“It’s definitely a good test for us where we are right now as a team and in terms of how the team has embraced the system,” said La Salle coach Aldin Ayo, who has turned the Archers into a team that goes on a full court press for almost the entire game.
La Salle, which lost to San Beda in the finals last year, will be up against the highly motivated Chiefs, who will be led by Jio Jalalon, widely considered as the finest playmaker in collegiate basketball today.
But while the Chiefs have a dynamic backcourt in Jalalon and Kent Salado, who also did some of the damage in the semifinal win over National U, the Archers boast the most dominant player of the tournament so far in Ben Mbala.
Ateneo and National U clash for third place at 2 p.m.