Bolick leads Red Lions to 7th straight victory

Robert Bolick took charge anew as San Beda turned last season’s finals rematch into a virtual workout, running roughshod on a listless Arellano squad, 95-70, Tuesday night to close out its NCAA first round on a high note at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

Unforgiving on the defensive end, the Red Lions also found their stride in the second period as they coasted to another lopsided victory that extended their winning streak to seven matches and stay just a game behind leader Lyceum.

Reprising his heroics in the finals last season where the Lions swept the Chiefs in two games, Bolick dished out a solid outing, finishing with 25 points on top of six rebounds as San Beda built an early lead and never looked back.

“We were happy that we got this win to finish the first round with a win,” said San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez. “At least, we’re two games ahead of third-running JRU.”

The Chiefs fell to 3-6.

The Bombers picked up their fourth straight victory at the expense of the Mapua Cardinals, 68-59, in the first game.

JRU got a huge lift from guard Aaron Bordon, who had 17 points, but coach Vergel Meneses was hardly satisfied with the win against an undermanned Mapua team.

“A win is a win, but the way we played, I’m not happy with it,” said Meneses. “They thought they can easily win against Mapua and Mapua gave them a hard time.”

Jed Mendoza and Ervin Grospe added 12 and 11 points respectively for the Bombers, who struggled to put away the Cardinals in the endgame after a spate of turnovers.

Mapua fell to its seventh straight defeat as it continued to miss top gun Andoy Estrella, starting forward Almel Orquina, and reserve big man Sean Magboo due to injuries.

The Bombers notched their sixth win in nine games despite a quiet outing from Tey Teodoro, who only had seven points.