Intensifying its hunt for a Final Four spot will be the main objective when University of Perpetual Help System Dalta battles Lyceum of the Philippines University in Season 100 National Collegiate Athletic Association junior boys basketball tournament today at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Game time is at 4 p.m. with the Junior Altas determined to post their fourth win in five games that would put them in a solid position to book a return flight to the semifinals of the country’s oldest collegiate basketball event.
Prior to that, reigning champion Letran College will face Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) at 8 a.m. while La Salle Greenhills (LSGH) will take on San Beda University at 10 a.m. At 12 noon, Jose Rizal University (JRU) will tackle San Sebastian College before Mapua University faces Arellano University at 2 p.m.
Perpetual, San Beda and EAC are in a three-way logjam at the top spot while Arellano, LSGH, JRU, Mapua and Letran are at the second spot with 2-2 slates followed by San Sebastian with 1-3 and Lyceum with 0-4.
The Junior Altas are coming off a convincing 92-80 victory over the Braves and are looking to crush the Junior Pirates, who are fresh from a heartbreaking 77-83 setback to the Staglets.
But Perpetual coach Joph Cleofas wants his wards to avoid complacency, knowing that a hungry team like the Junior Pirates will definitely do everything to pull off a shocking upset.
“I told them not to be complacent, every game is important,” said Cleofas, whose wards came very close to winning the title last year but fell prey to a powerhouse Squires squad.
To make short work of the Junior Pirates, Cleofas will bank on the solid core of 6-foot-7 Lebron Jhames Daep, Jan Roluna, Jericho Cristino, JD Pagulayan, Icee Callangan, Louie Ramirez along with backup players Aries Borja, Kelsey Baldoria, Kurt Velasquez, TJ Tabbuan, Lance Nitura, Jim Corpuz, Renzo Zanoria and Ezekiel Zamoras.
The Tamayo-owned squad hopes to make it to the Final Four for the second consecutive year and third in the history in celebration of the school’s 50th founding anniversary.