Red Lions eye finals vs Altas

TOP SEED San Beda feels it is peaking at the right time. And that’s just bad news for a Perpetual Help squad that barely averted a crisis of its own.

Armed with a twice-to-beat advantage, the Red Lions seek entry to the finals for the 11th straight season when they tangle with the Altas at 2 p.m. today in the NCAA Season 92 Final Four at Mall of Asia Arena.

The Lions, who own eight of the last 10 titles, look ferocious than ever even after losing top big man Donald Tankoua to a knee injury midway into the season.

With explosive performances from AC Soberano, Jayvee Mocon and Ben Adamos and Dan Sara returning to form after an injury, the Lions seem poised to regain the crown they lost last year to the Letran Knights.

“I don’t want to say anything to motivate opponents,” said San Beda coach Jamike Jarin, after the Lions pummeled the Arellano Chiefs, 80-73, in their playoff for the top seed.

“But I think we’re doing something really well. It doesn’t matter where you were, where you are because the most important game is against Perpetual (Help).”

The Chiefs also hold a similar advantage against the Mapua Cardinals in the other Final Four pairing tipping off at 4 p.m.

Arellano hopes to make the finals for the second time since joining the league in 2009. But the long and grueling season seem to be taking a toll on the Chiefs, who lost two straight games to the Lions heading into the playoffs.

Mapua poses a different challenge with its combination of size and speed, although the Chiefs swept them in the elimination round.

“We’re trying to stay positive and the players are learning,” said Arellano coach Jerry Codinera. “But the speed of our game is still there, we just have to find that consistency.”

An interesting sidelight to the Mapua-Arellano clash will be the battle between the two leading MVP candidates in Chiefs playmaker Jio Jalalon and Cardinals center Allwell Oraeme, the reigning MVP.

The Altas lost their two meetings to the Lions this season and it did not help that they had to deal with an internal problem involving import Bright Akhuetie and consultant Nosa Omorogbe at the most critical time of the season.

Akhuetie and Omorogbe buried the hatchet this week after their spat in practice, but doubts remain on the Altas’ ability to finally overcome the Lions, who have dealt them semifinal defeats from 2012 to 2014.