LA Consolacion College-Manila ended the title reign of Technological Institute of the Philippines on Thursday with a 55-54 victory to clinch the last finals berth of the 4th Interscholastic Athletic Association at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
LCCM faces Philippine Merchant Marine School in the title series starting on Monday.
Josue Quintal scored 20 points, Marlow Isip chipped in nine markers while the 6-foot-9 Tanzanian center Jimmy Brown made two key blocks in the payoff period to secure LCCM's third straight finals appearance.
The Blue Royals entered the semis carrying a twice-to-beat advantage.
Quintal hit three crucial layups in the fourth, including a difficult shot off two defenders that put LCCM up 53-48 with 3:55 remaining. He also fed Isip for an undergoal stab as the Blue Royals grabbed a 55-51 lead, 1:27 to go.
Sean Paulo hit a triple with less than 40 seconds left to help TIP pull within a single point.
After the Engineers made a defensive stop on the ensuing possession, Paulo had a chance to win it but missed a buzzer-beating three-point shot from the left corner.
Paulo finished with 21 points, Jemuel Namocatcat had 15 markers while Kim Medina scored 12 for TIP in a losing effort.
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