It’s been more than two months since Lyceum lost to San Beda in the championship series of the NCAA Season 93 men’s basketball tournament.
During that gap, Jaycee Marcelino never stopped working to stay on track.
And on Thursday, Marcelino’s grind paid off as he led the Pirates to the national title of the Philippine Collegiate Champions League against none other than the Red Lions.
“My goal was to really become a champion,” said Marcelino in Filipino after the 70-66 clincher. “I want to experience that championship feeling that’s why every practice, every game I really give it my all and put in extra effort.”
Marcelino poured in 19 points while grabbing nine rebounds and tallying three steals to pace the Pirates to be named the Finals MVP of the tournament.
And he also dabbled in the clutch for the Pirates when he put the Red Lions effectively at bay with less than a minute remaining.
Lyceum held a 66-58 lead midway the fourth but the Red Lions managed to cut the deficit to four, 66-62, after Clint Doliguez finished the 6-0 run on a three-point play with 2:26 left.
After the scoreboard stayed stagnant for more than a minute, Marcelino broke the silence and gave the Pirates a 68-62 lead with an elbow jumper 44.9 seconds left in the game.
“I’m really that we became the champions for the first time and it was against San Beda,” said Marcelino. “I really wanted to get one against San Beda, and of course I also want to win in the NCAA.”
“This is an experience for us and now we know what we have to do when we want to win another title.”