Lions, Chiefs start hunt for NCAA crown

Arellano’s Jio Jalalon. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Living up to the hype all season long, San Beda and Arellano now stand in each other’s way in the quest for NCAA basketball glory.

Two teams known for smothering opponents with the speed of their game, the Lions and Chiefs begin what is expected to be a frenetic best-of-three series for the Season 92 crown today at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

San Beda already owns three victories over Arellano this season, including the playoff for No. 1 two weeks ago, but that counts for nothing as far as Chiefs mentor Jerry Codiñera is concerned.

“We’ve forgotten about those losses already,” said Codiñera, who steered the Chiefs to their second finals appearance in three seasons.

“We’ve moved forward. Of course, San Beda has the culture and the winning tradition. We want to challenge that.”

Fleet-footed

Arellano has yet to win a crown since joining the league in 2009, a year before San Beda won the first of five consecutive titles—a run that was snapped last year by Letran.

The Lions, who are in their 11th straight finals, have picked up eight of the last 10 titles, including their Season 90 triumph at the expense of the Chiefs when Codiñera was still a rookie coach.

The Lions got little time to rest, after needing one more game to dispose of Perpetual Help in the Final Four Tuesday, while Arellano enjoyed four more days off after advancing to the finals at the expense of Mapua last Friday.

That short turnaround won’t change anything with the way the Lions intend to play.

“Don’t blink,” Jarin responded when asked how he sees the series panning out. “It’s going to be fast. It’s going to be interesting.”

The Chiefs have the fleet-footed Jio Jalalon pulling the strings of their running game and Kent Salado backing him up. Jarin has described the duo as the best backcourt combination in college basketball.

But the Lions have no shortage of big-game players and in rookie Davon Potts, San Beda has a player who embraces pressure situations.

“I contribute whatever needs to be done to win,” said Potts. “I always want to win. If my team wants me to get those big shots, I’ll do that.”

Another San Beda stalwart, forward Jayvee Mocon has also taken his game to another level this season, fueled by the heartbreak of last year’s loss to Letran.

“Losing in last year’s finals was just painful I don’t want to feel that way anymore and that’s my motivation,” said Mocon.

Arellano center Dioncee Holts believes this season’s Chiefs have what it takes to finally end the school’s wait for a first NCAA crown.

“I think when we play together as a team, we’re the best team here,” said Holts, who was part of the Chiefs squad that lost in the finals in 2014.