Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Arellano continued its ascent in the 2017 Filoil Flying V Preseason Premier Cup, escaping with a 67-63 victory over St. Benilde for its second win Friday at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
The Chiefs squandered a 10-point lead, 65-55, in the final 2:21 of the game as the Blazers fought back and got to as close as four, 67-63, after a Yankie Haruna layup with 27.5 remaining.
St. Benilde forced another turnover, Arellano’s fourth in the last two minutes, but the clock just wasn’t on its side as JJ Domingo missed two freebies with the time winding down.
Despite the eyesore of a victory, coach Jerry Codiñera would rather focus on the positives as he continues his buildup for the upcoming NCAA season.
“Anything that will give us a positive step is always a welcome note for us and we’re embracing that,” he said. “Our turnovers were horrible, but I’ll find a way for us to improve going to the NCAA season.”
Lervin Flores showed the way for the Chiefs with 16 points, nine rebounds, and six blocks, while Kraniel Villoria added five of his 14 markers in the fourth quarter, while also dishing five assists.
Zach Nicholls also went 3-of-6 from beyond the arc to wound up with nine points for Arellano.
The trio’s efforts made up for the silent outing of Kent Salado, who played through a mild knee injury and went scoreless in 23 minutes on the floor.
Clement Leutcheu topped the Blazers (1-6) with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Emmanuel San Juan had 10 in the defeat.
The Scores:
ARELLANO 67 – Flores 16, Villoria 14, Nicholls 9, Enriquez 6, Meca 6, Canete 6, Taywan 5, Rivera 3, Ongolo Ongolo 1, Abanes 1, Salado 0, Concepcion 0, Aguilar 0, De Guzman 0, Padilla 0, Chavez 0, Filart 0.
ST. BENILDE 63 – Leutcheu 17, San Juan 10, Pili 6, Belgica 6, Naboa 5, Haruna 4, Mercado 4, JJ Domingo 3, Dixon 3, Sta. Maria 2, Johnson 2, Velasco 1, Castor 0, Young 0, Bunyi 0.
Quarters: 13-10, 36-31, 51-49, 67-63.