Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Prince Eze looked drained and exhausted after a no-relief effort, playing 45 minutes last Thursday.
The reward: Another victory for Perpetual Help that could turn out to be vital for its Final Four bid in NCAA Season 94.
Tenacious on both ends of the floor, the 6-foot-10 Nigerian notched 25 points and 23 rebounds to power Perpetual Help past San Sebastian, 85-77, in overtime for its 10th victory at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
Perpetual Help coach Frankie Lim heaped praise on his hardworking big man, whom he said is his team’s Most Valuable Player.
“He is our MVP, a player very important to our system,” said Lim, in his first year as Altas coach.
“Everybody in our team knows that we live and die by Prince. I’m just happy and very glad for him that he’s responding very well to the minutes given to him.”
The victory proved critical for the Altas especially after fifth-running St. Benilde saw its Final Four bid take a huge blow with a 77-55 loss to defending champion San Beda in the second game.
The Lions hardly gave the Blazers room to breathe as they rolled to a 13-2 start en route to their 14th win in 15 games, tying Lyceum at the top of the standings.
It was San Beda’s eighth straight win, while St. Benilde has now lost two straight and fell to 8-7, two full games behind Perpetual Help in the chase for the No. 4 spot.
Robert Bolick topscored for the Lions with 19 points, while Javee Mocon and Donald Tankoua joined forces for 26 points.
Bolick insisted they had no intention to play the spoilers’ role against the Blazers.
“Our school finds losing tough so whatever game it is, we give our best,” said Bolick in Filipino. “Our school is built for championships.”
Eze did the heavy lifting for most of the game, particularly on the defensive end, producing four blocks, but it was Jielo Razon, Edgar Charcos, AJ Coronel, and Tonton Peralta who conspired down the stretch to pull off the Altas’ 10th win in 15 games.
“It shows a lot of character from my players,” said Lim.