UNIVERSITY of Perpetual Help won’t be denied in its date with destiny
The Junior Altas delivered under pressure in the NCAA Season 100 finale, claiming the school’s first-ever high school championship after demolishing the La Salle Greenhills Greenies in the deciding Game Three, 101-67, on Tuesday.
When everything was over, Perpetual Help players and coaches wept unabashedly amid the wild celebration of the university’s very first basketball title since joining the country’s grand old league in 1984.
The execution was quick and easy for the Junior Altas, the top-seeded team that was forced to a winner-take-all by the upset-conscious Greenies following their 95-91 come-from-behind win in Game 2 last Sunday.
The school made known its intentions right away, bombing La Salle with their outside shooting from the very start to impose a 32-18 lead after the first quarter.
As Jim Corpuz, Dan Rosales and Icee Cailangan applied pressure, the Junior Perps pulled away for good, 53-30, just before halftime, igniting the start of the celebration for Perpetual Help’s supporters at the jampacked FilOil EcoOil Centre.
"Just simply overwhelmed," said Junior Perps coach Joph Cleofas said after the game, the win somehow softening the heartbreak of the team's Game 3 loss to two-time champion Letran Squires in last year's juniors' finals.
Jan Roluna had a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead Perpetual Help, which also got 14 from Callangan and 13 from Corpuz, all of which he scored in that first half separation.
Rosales added 12 and Lebron Jhames Daep also had a double-double with 10 and 12 boards, while being named Finals MVP.
In all, the Junior Perps shot 39 percent from three-point range (9-of-23) including eight in the opening half, which served as the backbone of that huge breakaway.
Perpetual Help finished its campaign with a 12-2 (win-loss) record, its two losses coming in the hands of San Beda in the eliminations and the Greenies in the finals.
Guillian Quines finished with 18 points and five steals, but committed a game-high seven turnovers for the Greenies.
La Salle trailed by as many as 34 points and saw its run of upsets finally come to an end after overcoming a twice-to-beat disadvantage against two-time, defending champion Letran in the semis, and then inflicting Perpetual Help only its second loss in the tournament with that gutsy, series-tying win in Game 2.
"Sayang," was all La Salle Greenhills coach RenRen Ritualo could utter.
The Greenies actually played their fourth do-or-die encounter in nine days dating back to their first semifinals game against the Squires.
The scores
Perpetual Help (101) – Roluna 15, Callangan 14, Corpuze 13, Rosales 12, Daep 10, Pagulayan 9, Tabbuan 9, Baldonia 5, Nitura 3, Dela Cruz 2, Velasquez 2, Borja 2, Llupar 2.
La Salle Greenhills (67) – Quines 18, Gomez 17, Ortega 9, Podador 8, Osis 4, Yutuc 3, Ison 2, Sharma 2, Torres 2, Abad 2, Hizon 0.
Quarterscores: 32-18; 58-38; 81-55: 101-67.
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