AS Letran trailed by two with 27 seconds remaining in regulation, the brilliant Titing Manalili lined up for what was probably the only weak point of his game by far – free throws.
Missing the only pair of foul shots he’s taken in the game and with his struggles from the 15-foot line in the NCAA Season 101 well documented, the pressure was on for Manalili to make both shots as a miss could potentially put an end to their three-game winning streak in the tournament.
Adding pressure to the Cebuano rookie was Clint Escamis who walked up to him before he took those shots to try and rattle the 6-foot-1 guard.
“Parang may sinabi siya sakin, ‘dito mo patunayan, bata,’" Manalili said when asked about that small commotion with Escamis.
And prove himself he did, as Manalili sank both free throws to force overtime where the Knights eventually took an 85-82 win to mark their fourth straight victory in the tournament.
READ: Letran makes it four in a row in S101 by outlasting Mapua in OT
“Nagulat lang din ako bat niya ako ginanon, siguro pinapakaba niya ako. Pero tinatrabaho ko naman sa ensayo. Sabi ko sana lalabas dito yung pinagtrabahuan ko sa ensayo,” he added.
In a twist-of-fate, it was Escamis who actually missed from the foul line in crunchtime, missing two of his three foul shots late in overtime which would’ve put the Cardinals ahead by two.
But more so than outsteadying the former MVP in the clutch, what Manalili was most proud of was stopping Escamis – gamely taking on the challenge of stopping the brilliant Escamis which he did, forcing stops late in regulation and in overtime.
For the game, it's safe to say that Manalili outplayed Escamis as the Letran guard finished with 14 points, 10 assists and six rebounds to Escamis' 14 points, five assists and three boards.
“Sabi ko kailangan ko magtrabaho lalo sa depensa, kasi nga si Clint iba talaga. Naka heads up naman ako sa kanya, tinrabaho niya lahat ng ano niya,” he said.
“Kailangan [ko] nga patunayan kasi rookie-MVP [siya]. Kailangan ko mapakita sa kanya na kumbaga kaya ko pa rin makipagsabayan kahit nasa college na ako.”
Idols turned rivals
Though the two facilitators personally don’t have a personal relationship, Manalili did recall once being in awe of Escamis’ on-court excellence so much that he had to ask for a photo with him despite already being a champion player with the Squires.
“Naalala ko dati noong high school palang ako, nagkita kami ni Clint doon sa tapat. Talagang nagpa-picture ako sa kanya kasi iba talaga siya gumalaw
“Ganun talaga ang buhay, darating din ang araw na makakalaban ko rin siya,” he added.
And with victories against the likes of Escamis, Ato Barba of Lyceum, and Patrick Sleat of Perpetual, Manalili is definitely proving that not only can he compete – he belongs here.
“Kahit sino naman, marami naman akong nilolook up, lalo na sa mga kalaban ko ngayon na tinatrabaho ko naman sa ensayo.”
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