Red Lions, Blue Eagles Clash For Last Finals Slot

UAAP five-time champion Ateneo and three-peat NCAA titlist San Beda College dispute the last championship slot in the final day of the single round robin semifinals today in the Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) today at The Filoil Arena in San Juan.

The Blue Eagles and the Red Lions, sporting similar 1-1 cards, will knock each other out at 4 p.m.

University of Santo Tomas, which booked the first slot with a perfect 2-0 record, will face winless Southwestern University in a no-bearing game at 2 p.m.

Despite a slow start and poor shooting from the field, the Tigers, finalists in the UAAP last month, defeated the Lions Friday night, 63-60.

“We’re just lucky,” said UST coach Pido Jarencio, whose team stunned Ateneo in their semifinal duel (76-66) last Wednesday. “Now we’ll just wait and see who we will face in the finals. We’ll also try to end the semifinals with a win.”

The Eagles rebounded from that setback to the Tigers with an impressive 96-78 victory over the SWU Cobras last Friday with 7-footer Greg Slaughter leading the attack with 18 points and Kiefer Ravena and Nico Salva adding 16 and 10, respectively.

Against San Beda, Ateneo assistant coach Gabby Severino said they have to keep their aggressiveness just like they did against SWU.

“They’re a strong team. They’re also a champion in the other league. We expect them to come out strong too,” said Severino, who is calling the shots for the Eagles as team management continues to search for a replacement for Norman Black.

San Beda’s Nigerian import Ola Adeogun, who did not play against UST because of a sprained right ankle, remains a doubtful starter for the Lions, reason why San Beda coach Ronnie Magsanoc expects his other frontline players to step up.

Kyle Pascual had 18 points while Arthur dela Cruz had 10 against UST, but fellow big men Jake Pascual was held to just four points despite getting eight rebounds.

Magsanoc also hopes that his guards will bounce back as well after Baser Amer, the NCAA Finals MVP, and Anjo Karam after they were held to a combined nine points. Ryusei Koga is another player SBC will rely after collecting 10 points in their last game.

source: MB Sports