LETRAN head coach Louie Alas and his Knights seek a repeat over San Sebastian College (SSC) in their effort to go all the way to the 87th National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball finals where defending champion San Beda lies in waiting.
The No. 3 seed Letran and the No. 2-ranked San Sebastian duel in their knockout final four match at 4 p.m. on Wednesday at The Arena in San Juan.
“Nandito na kami. One game na lang for our primary goal,” said Alas minutes after pulling off a 70-62 win over the twice-to-beat Stags on Monday that forced the rubber match.
“We have to match the intensity na ipapakita nila sa next game. This coming game is our last game for the season. No tomorrow for us,” he added.
The winner of the semifinal encounter proceeds to the best-of-three championship series against the Red Lions, who thumped Jose Rizal University, 83-74, in the other semifinal on Monday. Game One of the title series starts on Monday at the Araneta Coliseum.
Alas, who lost in the 2007 finals in the Sam Ekwe-powered San Beda, expects a better performance from the Stags, particularly from main man Calvin Abueva, who still managed to put up decent numbers despite going into early foul trouble.
Abueva had 19 points and 16 rebounds in that loss but majority of his production came from the 15-foot line (15-of-19) as he struggled with his shots in the perimeter.
“Mahirap i-stop si Abueva ng single coverage. Talagang kailangan may secondary help to be able to control him,” said Alas. “Kitang-kita naman that coach Topex wanted to maximize the strength of Abueva.”
Ian Sangalang also had a double-double performance for the Stags with 17 points and 10 rebounds but was shut down to just two in the final quarter where San Sebastian was held to just one field goal.
Missing in the Big Three of coach Topex Robinson was Ronald Pascual, who was limited to just eight points on three-of-18 shooting.
With only one day to prepare, Alas said adjustments by both teams will be done during the game and neither of them holds the momentum.
“Wala ng momentum dito. Kasi 50-50 na ang chance ng both teams. Basta ang battle cry na lang namin is ‘Beat Baste.’ We need two wins to go to the finals and we already won one,” said Alas.
Jam Cortes and Mark Cruz were the biggest revelations for Letran as they combined for 28 points, while Kevin Alas had 15 points, five rebounds and five assists.
