By ANGELO JACINTO
ROMEL Calahat put a fitting end to his collegiate career as he towed San Sebastian to a 98-89 victory against fellow also-ran Arellano in the NCAA Season 99 men's basketball tournament at the Filoil Eco Oil Center in San Juan.
The Stags opened a 24-point lead early in the first half before cruising to a comfortable 55-41 lead at the half.
Fitting farewell for Calahat
With the Chiefs hot on their heels, Calahat had answers to every Arellano attempt at a comeback, scoring 20 points in the final 20 minutes of his collegiate career as the Stags ended the season with a 6-12 record.
“Goal sana namin ay makapasok sa Final Four so masakit sa 'min na di kami makapasok doon. So ngayon, itong last game na namin, kami nila Alex [Desoyo] at Jesse [Sumoda]. Talagang binigay na namin ng todo sa game na’to,” Calahat said, sharing that he was supposed to skip his final year before being convinced otherwise.
“Dapat [di na ko lalaro] pero naisip ko na dapat tapusin itong final year kasi sayang din e. Sabi din ng magulang ko sa 'kin na tapusin ko nalang daw, so bumalik ako. And wala naman akong pinagsisisihan sa decision ko.”
Calahat finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals while fellow graduating player Desoyo added 19 points and four assists for the Stags.
Jade Talampas paced the Chiefs with 20 points, 12 rebounds and five assists while Ralph Yanes added 18 points as they ended the season with a 2-16 record, their worst finish since joining the league in 2009.
The scores:
SSC-R 98- Calahat 24, Desoyo 19, Are 15, Felebrico 15, Shanoda 9, Sumoda 5, Re. Gabat 4, Castor 3, Una 2, Ra. Gabat 2, De Leon 0, Aguilar 0, Chuidian 0
Arellano 89 - Talampas 20, Yanes 18, Mallari 13, Camay 11, Sunga 10, Capulong 7, Abastillas 7, Ongotan 2, Geronimo 1, Villarente 0, Dela Cruz 0, Tan 0, Dayrit 0
Quarters: 31-19; 55-41; 76-63; 98-89
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