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MAPUA
tries to complete a mammoth upset and advance into its
first finals appearance in 17 years as it goes up
against defending champion and top seed San Beda in a
do-or-die Final Four match in the 84th National
Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball
tournament today at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
And coach Leo Isaac believes that with
the momentum on their side, the Cardinals are in a great
position to repeat over the Red Lions in their 2:30 p.m.
return bout for the second championship slot.
“We have the momentum, and I think the
pressure is on San Beda and hopefully we are in a
situation that they are not familiar with,” said Isaac.
The winner will meet Jose Rizal
University (JRU) in the best-of-three finals starting
Wednesday. The Heavy Bombers, who are looking for their
first title in 36 years, earned the first championship
berth after eliminating last year’s runner-up Letran
Knights with a come-from-behind 63-61 victory in their
own semifinals showdown on Friday.
Besides their dreaded “slow break” game,
the Cardinals are also hoping for a collective explosion
from their main men, led by reigning Most Valuable
Player (MVP) Kelvin de la Peña, Ian Mazo and Jonathan
Banal.
On the other hand, the Red Lions, who
are seeking their third straight crown, are hoping to
regain their prowess that made them the top seed after
the elimination rounds.
“We are still upbeat. We hope we bring
back our old game, and we’ll do our best to achieve
that,” said San Beda coach Frankie Lim.
Lim is also hoping to get the best out
of Nigerian behemoth Sam Ekwe, who has been struggling
in the past few games. Ekwe, who won his second MVP
plum, managed only four points in that loss to the
Cardinals.
The Red Lions will also lean on their
other starters in Pong Escobal, Ogie Menor and Borgie
Hermida.
Mapua won its last league title in 1991,
interestingly at the expense of San Beda. --Ian
Brion |
