Clash of rivals

We should be ready and focus on anticipating their tactic.

DONALD Tankoua and San Beda renew their rivalry with Letran. DAVID JOHN CUBANGBANG @tribunephl_dvd

After posting a sweep of eliminations, there’s only one team standing between San Beda University and the elusive title — bitter rival Letran College.

The Red Lions and the Knights essay another thrilling chapter to their storied rivalry when they collide in Game 1 of their Season 95 National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament best-of-three finals showdown today at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Game time is at 4 p.m. with the Red Lions hunting a crucial win that would give them the momentum to clinch their 23rd cage crown since joining the league as a founding member in 1924.

Also opening their title quest are the Lions’ junior counterparts, the Red Cubs, who will battle Lyceum of the Philippines University in Game 1 of their best-of-three title showdown at 9 p.m.

The rivalry between San Beda and Letran is arguably the fiercest in the league.

Save for the golden era of the 1950s when Carlos Loyzaga was still bannering San Beda and Lauro Mumar was still quarterbacking for Letran, both the Lions and the Knights are tipped to go all out whenever they clash in the finals of the oldest collegiate league in the country.

The first time they met in the finals of the modern era was in 2006 when Nigerian Sam Ekwe opened the floodgates for foreign student-athletes to crush Boyet Bautista, Aaron Aban, JP Alcaraz and the all-Filipino Letran crew to snap a 28-year title drought.

Since then, the Red Lions had been the toast of the league, winning 11 of the next 13 titles.

But the last time these two schools clashed in the finals, the Red Lions walked away frustrated.

Mark Cruz, Rey Nambatac and Kevin Racal powered the Knights to a shocking upset of Art de la Cruz, Baser Amer, Nigerian Ola Adeogun and the Red Lions to win the 2015 title.

Since then, the Red Lions were invincible.

In fact, Letran never won a single game over San Beda in their next eight matches since that dramatic titular showdown in 2015 and posted an amazing 32 games with its last defeat coming from the hands of Lyceum in the first round of eliminations last year.

This year, San Beda won all of its 18 games in the double-round eliminations to duplicate the feat registered by American Sudan Daniel and the powerhouse Red Lions when they coasted to the 2010 finals after a 16-game winning run.

Still, sweeping the eliminations doesn’t guarantee anything.

“Their coach (Bonnie Tan) and his staff are very good,” said San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez, wary of the strategy and adjustments that the Letran coaching staff will throw at them in the most crucial game of the season.

“We should be ready and focus on anticipating their tactic.”

After posting 12-6 win-loss mark in the eliminations, they unleashed their unforgiving defense to stop Allyn Bulanadi and San Sebastian College in the first phase of the stepladder before frustrating the Pirates in another sudden-death duel to book a dream finals showdown with their bitter rivals.

Tan said they are very eager to pull the rug from under the mighty Lions, who are looking to stop bull-strong Larry Muyang at the post and silence their ginners like Jerrick Balanza, Edson Batiller and Fran Yu, who posted 15.0 points and 8.5 assists in the stepladder phase.

“We are very lucky to have the opportunity of entering the finals,” said Tan, who may be in his first year as Knights coach but is no longer a spring chicken when it comes to coaching high-staked basketball.

“We should be responsible in handling this series and give our best.”

Tan said to gain the upper hand in this series, they must stop newly-crowned Most Valuable Player Calvin Oftana from doing damage while shutting down the backcourt tandem of James Canlas and Evan Nelle.

Donald Tankoua of Cameroon, who was named as the Best Foreign Player, could also hurt them so they have to do their best to put clamps on him down low.

”Like what I have mentioned, my veteran and outgoing players want to prove something and they want to have the best last game,” Tan said.