Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Mapua coach Randy Alcantara accomplished success in NCAA junior ball for two consecutive seasons. And the building blocks of that achievement are now being used as a foundation for the school’s senior varsity program.
Noah Lugo erupted with a career-high 31 points in double overtime as the Mapua Cardinals scrambled past Final Four contender Letran Knights, 105-101, on Friday in the NCAA Season 95 men’s basketball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
Ranged against a taller and bulkier Letran five, Lugo and the Cardinals used Alcantara’s motivation to key the Cardinals’ fourth win in 10 games.
“The motivation came from our coaches and my teammates. We give our all every time we step on the court,” Lugo said in Filipino after nailing five threes and going 11 of 17 from the field.
Undersized forward Justin Serrano and Cyril Gonzales actually secured the win with decisive plays in the end.
Serrano put one over Letran rebounding ace Ato Ular in the paint while Gonzales scooted past the Knights off a steal, all inside 39 seconds that preserved Lugo’s breakout performance.
“We really worked hard for this. My players will refuse to give up, even if we go into another overtime,’’ said Alcantara in Filipino, who coached Lugo, Gonzales and Paolo Hernandez, last year’s junior Finals MVP, in the high school level.
The Knights had several opportunities to turn the tide in their favor but muffed shots by Jerrick Balanza and Edson Batiller in extra time sent Letran to its fourth defeat in 11 outings.
Prior to downing the Knights, the Cardinals nearly pulled an upset over the defending champion San Beda Red Lions, whose tendency to loosen up after building a large advantage almost had them tasting their first defeat of the season.
Good thing Donald Tankoua salvaged the Red Lions from suffering a blow in a 73-66 victory over the Arellano Chiefs in the other game.
The defending champions rose to 11-0, but not after wasting a 16-point lead nearly erased by Arellano’s scoring trio of Gelo Sablan, Kent Salado and pivotman Justin Arana.
When the Chiefs came to within one in the closing minutes, Tankoua took the initiative of saving his team from disgrace by scoring eight of San Beda’s last 13 points.
Tankoua muscled his way to 20 points on nine of 14 shooting on top of nine rebounds, two assists and a steal. The Chiefs absorbed their ninth loss in 11 games.
In the curtain-raiser, Agem Miranda had 16 points and Marwin Dionisio added 13 as the Jose Rizal Heavy Bombers outlasted the Emilio Aguinaldo Generals, 69-63, and improved to a 4-7 slate.
The Generals continued to plummet deeper in the standings with a 1-10 record.