San Sebastian’s Gelo Loristo (right) battles Perpetual’s Mark Omega for the rebound. —PHOTO COURTESY OF NCAA/GMA
San Sebastian coach Egay Macaraya, one of the successful collegiate basketball mentors, only had one wish from his wards: Play defense.
He got more than that after the Stags hammered out an impressive win over the Perpetual Altas, 63-58, on Friday in the NCAA Season 97 men’s basketball at La Salle Greenhills Gym.
“I always say that this team is a very good defensive team. And they proved it right now. The scoring and their acceptance of responsibility, those are just bonuses for me,” the soft-spoken mentor, whose team notched its first win in two games, said in Filipino.
Later in the day, Mapua got away from a late-rally by Jose Rizal University (JRU) to prevail, 59-56, and join the early leaders with two wins in as many games.
Cardinals captain Warren Bonifacio sank two free throws in the final 8.7 seconds, staving off the Heavy Bombers’ comeback with their own endgame scoring binge.
Mapua thus joined San Beda and Letran at the top of the standings. JRU fell to 1-1.
Scorers gone
Macaraya, who lost scorers Allyn Bulanadi and RK Ilagan in the off-season, also wove some sideline magic for the Stags, who last won a championship 13 seasons ago.
Turning up the heat defensively to make up for losing those vital scoring cogs, San Sebastian also mixed things up a lot—big men shooting from the perimeter and small guys attacking the post.
“We know how [Perpetual standouts Kim] Aurin and [Jielo] Razon play. They had spectacular games over Jose Rizal,” said Macaraya. “That was our focus.”
When they succeeded locking up the Altas gunners, the Stags’ limited options on offense proved more than adequate, especially with the way it was utilized. The Stags outscored their foes, 19-10, in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
By design
They did so with big guys JM Calma and Rommel Calahate hitting the long-range bombs that powered the rally. And that, Macaraya said, was by design.
“I also believe that my big guys should hit from the outside,” said Macaraya. “And all my small guys can play the post. We just have to strike the right balance.”
That threw off Perpetual’s highly energetic full-court presses as the Altas found themselves getting caught in the mixup, with their 5-foot-7 guard Joey Barcuma winding up having to defend the against 6-foot-5 Jessie Sumoda down low often.
With the victory, the Stags tied the Altas with identical 1-1 records.