ARELLANO University once again leaned on its gutsy backcourt as it got back to its winning ways following a 61-59 over University of Perpetual Help in the NCAA Season 98 Men’s Basketball Tournament last Friday at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan.
Arellano vs Perpetual Help recap
Axel Doromal conspired with veteran guard Shane Menina in the final period, as they scored 12 of the Chiefs’ final 14 points to pull the upset rug on the veteran Altas squad and bounce back following a stinging loss to San Sebastian in their last outing and improve to 2-1 for the season.
Doromal drained a jumper with 1:47 remaining in the game to give the Chiefs the lead for good, 59-57, as Menina responded to a Mark Omega split with a basket of his own to give his team some buffer, 59-56 with a little over a minute remaining in the game.
It looked like the Chiefs had the game in the bag as they forced several stops in the next two possessions, but a late turnover from the inbounds play kept the door open for the Altas with Kim Aurin getting the steal with 12 seconds to go in the game.
Luckily for the Chiefs, Aurin’s three went a tad long, resulting in Menina draining the backbreaking free throws to secure the win.
“We were able to prepare for this, the good thing is the players are adjusting to my system, we kept on reviewing, reviewing, reviewing and luckily naging effective ang defense namin against Perpetual today,” Arellano coach Cholo Martin said.
“Na-check ng Perpetual yung defense namin nung third quarter, so nagbago kami. We prepared for two defenses, man-to-man and 1-2-2 zone.
“Ni-review naman namin ang plays ng Perpetual, so we just have to do what they’re doing samin. They miss, we get the rebound and run. Luckily we got the comeback win.”
Doromal continued his stellar play for the Chiefs as he finished with 19 points, four assists and three rebounds while Menina bounced back from a scoreless output in their previous loss with 13 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals to his name.
The Chiefs’ big men also went to work as Cade Flores hauled down 16 big boards to go along eight points while Danielle Mallari added nine markers with 13 rebounds.
It was a tough night for Aurin who waxed hot in the second half for the Altas, scoring 23 of his career best 27 points in the final two quarters while draining all five of his treys in that stretch.
Unfortunately for him, he found little help from the usual reliable players as Jielo Razon and Rey Barcuma combined for just six points on 2-18 shooting for the Altas who dropped to 1-1.
The scores:
Arellano 61 - Doromal 19, Menina 13, Mallari 9, Flores 8, Abastillas 5, Tolentino 3, Mantua 3, Oliva 1, Oftana 0, Domingo 0, Talampas 0
Perpetual 59 - Aurin 27, Omega 9, Martel 6, Nitura 5, Razon 3, Barcuma 3, Flores 2, Egan 2, Ferreras 2, Orgo 0, Cuevas 0, Boral 0, Roque 0, Nunez 0, Movida 0
Quarters: 7-13, 27-24, 42-48, 61-59
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