Lions slay Archers

It’s no secret how much joy San Beda guard Robert Bolick gets from playing against—and beating—his former team De La Salle.

Although he has gone on to win an NCAA title with the Red Lions, the memory of his two seasons riding the Green Archers before they allowed him to walk away from Taft lingers for the do-it-all guard.

Bolick reminded the Archers again of what they’ve lost as he nailed a triple with 8.5 seconds remaining to lift the Lions to a 75-72 triumph that completed a sweet sweep on Sunday night of the Filoil Flying V Premier Cup.

The victory before a big Sunday crowd gave the Red Lions their second title in the preseason tournament at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

The superb performance against the reigning champions of the UAAP augurs well for the upcoming season for the Lions who open their NCAA title defense against the San Sebastian Stags on July 8 at Mall of Asia Arena.

“We won the Filoil, and hopefully we can win the NCAA,” said San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez, whose squad rallied from six points down in the final minute to complete a stunning comeback.

“We were down in the last few minutes but everybody stepped up. It’s really the trust and confidence of the players and our system that propelled us to win this game.”

Fernandez reserved the biggest praise for Bolick, who minced no words in expressing his desire to beat La Salle every time, after he led the Lions to victory over the Archers in the elimination round.

“He really wanted to prove himself in the first half,” said Fernandez, referring to his point guard who also had eight rebounds and six assists.

“And I told him you cannot win alone. I told Robert, if you want to beat La Salle, you have to play within the team.”

Jayvee Mocon added 13 points and Clint Doliguez came away with eight points for San Beda, which finished with an 11-0 card.