Benilde blazes way to final vs Stags

St. Benilde whipped Philippine Christian University, 106-87, in a physical, foul-riddled Friday the 13th encounter and set the stage for an interesting best-of-three showdown with defending champion San Sebastian for the 78th NCAA basketball crown at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Sunday Salvacion never gave the Dolphins a decent chance throughout the contest as he toyed with the PCU defense en route to 34 points. He had four triples, including three in the third quarter, and two highlight dunks, the last one coming off a steal and giving his team a safe 95-80 lead with three minutes left.

"It’s nice to be back in the finals and I’m looking forward to a tough series against San Sebastian, which has the height and experience," said St Benilde coach Dong Vergeire after the match that had the referees calling 29 fouls against the Dolphins and 28 against the Blazers.

The game was never tight after the Blazers, back in the finals after beating the Stags for the title two years ago, pulled away with three minutes left in the opening quarter. They posted their first double-digit lead at 29-19 and enjoyed their biggest bubble at 55-36 shortly before the halftime break.

Game One of the best-of-three finals is set to start on Wednesday with the Stags, under coach Turo Valenzona, hoping to nail a second straight crown and try to regain the same dominance which had the Recto-based squad winning five straight championships starting in 1993.

St. Benilde was already way ahead, 100-81, with two minutes left when Verman Reyes, streaking downcourt after a steal, was chased and fouled hard by PCU’s Loreto Soriano as he went for a layup. Reyes lay on the court for almost five minutes and was carried out on a stretcher complaining of back pains.

In the juniors division, John Carl Melegrito took matters into his own hands in the second half as Letran, the defending champion, outlasted Mapua, 90-78, for the right to face San Beda in the finals.

Melegrito was scoreless in the first half but suddenly caught fire in the second where he poured in 18 points, helping his team turn a 48-54 deficit into an insurmountable 85-66 lead going into the final three minutes.

The Squires, however, will face a tougher task against the Red Cubs who clinched the first finals slot and at the same time were awarded a twice-to-beat advantage after posting a 14-game sweep of the elimination round.