Mens Basketball – 6th Place
Womens Basketball – 4th Place
Aracelie Abaca – Mythical 5 selection
Photo courtesy of Wilsuan Tan
Badminton
Mens Division – 3rd
Womens Division 3rd
Gerald P. Sibayan (Men) – Rookie of the Year
JC A. Clarito (Men) – Most Improved Player
Beach Volleyball
Mens Division – 5th Place
Womens Division- 4th Place
Camille Cruz – Rookie of the Year
Read more…
College of St Benilde’s hopes for a decent finish and a possible berth in the PCCL got derailed yesterday as they lost to the Lyceum Pirates 94-89 in overtime. The Blazers end their season at 7th place with a 6-12 record.
The loss ends another frustrating year for CSB, who has not had a winning season in men’s basketball since 2002. The Blazers were actually in the thick of the fight early in the tournament and had a legitimate chance to make it to the Final 4. But a string of tough-luck losses to lower ranked teams, the migration of mainstay Mark Romero to the US and the brief absence of leading-scorer Carlo Lastimosa affected the team’s campaign towards the homestretch.
The future looks bright though for CSB next year as the team will remain intact. With the addition of several key players from team b, the Blazers will definitely contend in 2012.
Meanwhile in the juniors division, La Salle Greenhills crushed Lyceum 118-45 as they solidify their hold on the number 3 seed in the semis. This will be only the third time that the Greenies will advance past the eliminations since returning to the NCAA in 1998. They will be having the twice-to-beat disadvantage when they face the Letran Squires.
Overall, it was the good showing for CSB/LSGH in the first semester events of the NCAA.
Swimming: Mens – 2nd, Womens – 2nd, Juniors -10-time Champion
Chess: Seniors – Champion, Juniors – 4th
Table Tennis: Womens – Champion, Mens – 2nd, Juniors – 7th
Beach Volleyball – Womens – 3rd, Mens – 4th, Juniors – 7th
Boxscores
Jrs
LSGH 118 -Bonleon 21, Torres 17, Manzano 15, Paras 12, Mercado 10, Sy 9, Marcial 9, Tesorero 8, vito 7, Villaruz 4, Ramilo 2, Laigo 2, Barrera 2, Sta Clara 0
Lyceum 45 – Menil 8, Pare 10, Lagman 9, Cecilio 4, Romanes 2, DeLeon 2, Verdad 0, Tropicales 0, Ligot 0, Licerio 0, Cruzada 0, Agdon 0, Agdon 0
Quarterscores: 28-12;60-18;94-29;118-45
Srs
Lyceum 94 – Guevara 27, Napiza 14, Cayabyab 11, Lacap 11, Francisco 10, Laude 8, Ko 4, Mallari 4, Anacta 3, Azores 2, Lesmoras 0
CSB 89 – Lastimosa 24, Tan 12, Pate 11, Sinco 10, Nayve 9, Taha 8, Deles 6, McCoy 3, de la Paz 2, Altamirano 2, de Guzman 2, Carlos 0
Quarterscores: 18-16;36-37;59-57;79-79;94-89
Contributed by Louie Razon
Bringing back the crown that they last won in 2005, the DLSZ Junior Lady Archers completed a sweep of the tournament and brought down a game St. Jude Catholic School, 62-41. It was a tough emotional win for Coach Barry Tobias’ charges as they worked through a shaky first quarter and broke open the game in the third quarter.
The game began with both sides playing extremely tight with scoring coming solely from putbacks and easy layups. Center Jamie Roxas accounted for Zobel’s first six points and backup center Isabel Menchaca accounted for the other four points of the Alabang girls in the first quarter, a grand total of 10. Fortunately, the preparations for defending St. Jude’s top gun, Jolina Go, paid off and St. Jude scored an even more meager 8 points.
In the second quarter, both teams labored hard to score as St. Jude had also made adjustments to stop DLSZ’s fastbreaks off turnovers. To top it off, point guard Kat Nuñez was nursing a fever and so the usual Zobel buzz saw was going in fits and starts. Six minutes of play saw the score at only 19-14. But the Junior Lady Archers once again finished strong in the second quarter as Angel Caldo scored to boost the lead to 26-18 with ten seconds to go in the second. St. Jude called timeout to call a last play but then team captain Annette Razon made a crafty interception of the inbound and scored to send DLSZ into the lockers with a more comfortable 28-18 lead.
Championship nerves settled after half time, the Junior Lady Archers went on a scoring tear in the third, highlighted by a three-pointer by junior Sam Razon. Kat Nuñez had to be sat down with 4 fouls with 3 min left in the third but Zobel had a comfortable lead by then, 44-27. St. Jude in the meantime was still struggling on the offensive end and the lead bulged to 20 at the end of the third, 49-29.
The game was firmly in control thereafter and Nuñez returned with five minutes to go in the fourth to further balloon the lead to 28. Both teams traded baskets from then on, until the final buzzer. The meticulous scouting and pregame preparations of Coach Barry Tobias paid off huge dividends again as Mythical Five member Jolina Go was limited to 11 points, many of them during garbage, after a 35-point barrage in the Game 1.
At the end of the game, it may have been difficult for an unaware observer to tell who won the game as both sides openly broke out into tears and sobs. A rugby scrum would be the apt description for the jubilation of a team that had worked so hard for years to get to this stage. The core of this team came together under coach Chiqui Soriano in grade school when its sole play was Menchaca flinging the ball to a streaking Nuñez.
The collective experiences of this team: 7 am games; losing in double-overtime in the WBL Finals of 2009; getting blown out by 40; blowing out other teams by 40; getting trapped in the St. Scho gym by Ondoy floods; back-to-back-to-back games in the NCR tournament, injuries and illnesses, have really bonded the girls and their cohesion and unselfish team play stamped its class on the league.
Jubilation was complete as Roxas and Nuñez were announced as part of the Mythical Five along with St. Jude’s Jolina Go, Marielle Lamar from Miriam College and Loraine Capilit from sister school La Salle Antipolo. There was very little surprise when Kat Nuñez was hailed as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
In the midgets tournament, DLSZ overwhelmed traditional powerhouse Miriam College by such a large margin that no one seems to remember the final score. Coach Maan Moreno’s little girls showed what could be done with pure heart and skill as Miriam had significant advantages in height and heft. It was back-to-back championships and MVP’s for the midgets as Marga Jimenez was declared MVP. Juniors rookie Margaux Nonato was midgets MVP last year. Joining Marga Jimenez on the Mythical Five were DLSZ’s Joie de Luzuriaga and Jel Alliah Jajurie.
The midgets volleyball team made it a perfect day for DLSZ as they likewise won their championship.
Next up for the Junior Lady Archers is the Women’s Basketball League (WBL) with a different field. In the WBL they will unleash power forward Nicole Arguelles whose WNCAA eligibility was used up when she was plucked from the midgets team to play for high school.
Boxscores (HS)
DLSZ: Nunez-21, Roxas – 12, S. Razon -10, A. Caldo – 9, A. Razon – 6, Menchaca – 4, Medina -3.
SJCS: Yu – 17, Go – 11, Tanking – 7, Sabido – 5, Lee – 2
Photos courtesy of Bernard Morillo
As posted in the Manila Bulletin by Jonas Terrado
College of Saint Benilde won its first game in over a month with an 82-73 win over cellar-dweller Emilio Aguinaldo College in the 87th NCAA basketball tournament Friday at The Arena in San Juan.
The Blazers drew strong games from rookie Michael Pate, Paolo Taha and Carlo Lastimosa to snap a four-game losing run and tie idle Lyceum for sixth place with similar 6-11 records.
Pate, a former National Youth mainstay, came off the bench to register 18 points, three rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes of action.
Taha had 14 points and three boards and Lastimosa, in his third game back after a brief absence, registered 13 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals. Center Jan Tan added 10 points, 12 rebounds and two blocked shots.
It was St. Benilde’s first win since a narrow 66-64 victory over Arellano on Sept. 5. Since then, the Blazers lost their next four games that eliminated them from Final Four contention.
The loss of Mark Romero, who migrated along with his parents to the United States, a brief misunderstanding that led to a temporary departure of Lastimosa from the team likewise affected their semis bid.
“We could have done better,” said coach Richard del Rosario. “I think the lost of our players during the midseason and failing to win games that we could have won affected us but could build something from this.”
Boxscores
Jrs
LSGH 84 – Bonleon 19, Torres 15, Villaruz 13, Vito 10, Yap 9, Ramilo 7, Sta Clara 6, Barrera 4, Laigo 1, Mercado 0
EAC 67 – Mendoza 21, Superable 17, Onwubere 15, Cuyos 8, Padrones 2, Manreza 2, Cabral 2, Rait 0, Meana 0, Magtaas 0
Quarterscores: 22-10;35-32;53-46;84-67
Srs
CSB 82 – Pate 18, Taha 14, Lastimosa 13, Tan 10, Altamirano 8, Deles 8, De la Paz 5, Sinco 4, Carlos 2, McCoy 0.
EAC 73 – Jamon 20, Yaya 17, Vargas 11, Cubo 10, Torralba 6, Chiong 5, Paguia 2, Sanchez 2, Morada 0, King 0, Diolanto 0.
Quarterscores: 22-19;43-30;61-47;82-73.
College of Saint Benilde’s Final Four bid came to an end on Monday after bowing to fancied Letran, 72-60, in the 87th NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Arena.
The trio of Paolo Taha, Carlo Lastimosa and Jonathan Grey led a spirited third quarter comeback by the Blazers but failed to sustain their momentum in the payoff period that helped the Knights pull away.
With their fourth consecutive defeat, CSB fell to 5-11 and is assured of missing the Final Four for the ninth straight season.
The Blazers’ elimination was completed in the second game when Jose Rizal University won its eighth game by likewise ending Mapua’s disappointing 2011 campaign with a 78-64 win in the second game.
The last time St Benilde made the postseason was in 2002 when Sunday Salvacion led the team to its second finals appearance in three seasons. The Blazers, however, were swept by back-to-back champion San Sebastian.
Taha led the “Green and Black” with 18 points and 11 rebounds while Lastimosa made 11 points although he shot 4-of-14 from the field. Grey added 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
CSB fell behind early as Kevin Alas powered Letran to a 15-3 lead in the first then teammate VJ Espiritu fired all 10 points in the first two periods to take a 28-19 halftime lead.
But St Benilde awoke from slumber as it capitalized on a sluggish third by the Knights to even take a 45-43 lead with barely two minutes remaining in the said period.
However, the Blazers fell into numerous fouls and Letran capitalized to regain full control of the contest.
Alas had 16 points to lead Letran while Jam Cortes tallied 12 points and 12 boards. Backup guard Mark Cruz gave the Blazers trouble as well for 11 markers.
Luis Sinco added nine points for the Blazers.
In juniors action, La Salle Greenhills lost to Letran 74-60. The Greenies drop to 11-5, tied for the 3rd and 4th spot with EAC.
Box scores
Jrs
Letran 74 – Villanueva 25, Nambatac 10, Luib 10, Catipay 10, Serafica 9, Galleon 6, Licyayo 4
LSGH 60 – Torres 16, Villaruz 15, Yap 9, Laigo 6, Vito 4, Bonleon 4, Barrera 3, Ramilo 2, Sta Clara 1, Tesorero 0, Paras 0, Mercado 0, Marcial 0
Quarterscores: 19-14;39-23;61-37;74-60
Srs
Letran 72 — Alas K. 16, Cortes 12, Cruz 11, Espiritu 10, Belorio 7, Dysam 6, Racal 4, Alas J, 4, Almazan 2, Lituania 0, Mendoza 0, Gabriel 0
St. Benilde 60 — Taha 18, Lastimosa 11, Grey 10, Sinco 9, Tan 4, Carlos 4, Altamirano 2, McCoy 1, Deles 1, de la Paz 0, Pate 0.
Quarterscores: 16-5; 28-19; 47-45; 72-60
Photo courtesy of absolutverde
While awaiting for the formal announcement of the new head coach of the Green Archers, DLSU has appointed Cholo Villanueva to call the shots for the team on an interim basis.
Villanueva played 5 UAAP seasons for La Salle and was part of the 2001 and 2007 championship teams. He had a brief stint in the PBA before embarking on a coaching career as an assistant, first with the seniors then later on with the womens team. He is also the head coach of the Green Archers Team B that is currently competing in the Father Martin’s Cup.
Photos by Mr. Gerry Achacoso
Read more…
Contributed by Louie Razon
DLSZ broke open a ruggedly fought Finals Game 1 and eventually overcame St. Jude Catholic School to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three WNCAA Finals, 73-55. The Junior Lady Archers jumped to a quick 7-0 lead early in the first quarter but St. Jude ground it out and eventually pulled even in the second quarter, 23 all. La Salle banked on a strong second quarter finish to pull ahead by 11 at the turn. Behind some superb 3-point shooting and some sloppy officiating, St. Jude stayed in the game and the third quarter ended with Zobel clinging to its 11-point lead, 50-39. But the game-long full court press and fatigue finally took its toll on St. Jude’s shallow bench. Exploiting numerous turnovers, DLSZ jacked up the lead to 23 points and benches were sent in with 2 minutes left in the game.
Junior point guard Kat Nuñez once again led the Junior Lady Archers with 19 points while dishing out 12 assists. Sophomore center Jamie backed her up with sixteen points and completely dominated the boards. Coach Barry Tobias’ pressing defense led to at least three 8-second backcourt violations to go with numerous travelling violations and wayward passes by St. Jude. That said, the final score does not really reflect the competitiveness of the game and Game 2, scheduled for 8 a.m. on October 1 at the St. Scholastica’s College gym, should be another exciting match.
There was a scary moment in the fourth quarter as junior forward Sam Razon fell hard after a flagrant foul. Though she presently suffers from a sore shoulder, Sam should be ready for Saturday’s game.
Photo courtesy of Bernard Morillo
Boxscores
DLSZ: Nuñez-19, Roxas-16, A. Razon-10, S. Razon-8, Caldo-8, Teo-6, Menchaca-4, Medina-2, Nonato-0.
SJCS: Go-35, Yu-14, Sabido-4, Arroyo-2, Tanking-0
The Ateneo Blue Eagles clinched their fourth straight mens basketball title today as they defeated the FEU Tamaraws 82-69 in game 2 of their championship series. Forward Nico Salva was awarded the MVP of the finals.
And so ends another UAAP basketball season. No doubt the Blue Eagles are still hungry to extend their reign next year and they definitely have what it takes to do just that.
So the question is, who is going to stop them?
Carlo Lastimosa’s stunning return sparked a ray of hope in the Final Four bid of College of Saint Benilde.
But not even Lastimosa could prevent the Blazers from falling on the brink of elimination as they succumbed to defending champion San Beda, 84-75, in the 87th NCAA basketball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Arena.
After missing CSB’s 78-63 loss to Jose Rizal University on Sept. 19, the 2010 Rookie of the Year made a surprise comeback after his parents and school officials came to terms last week.
And like in their first round meeting with the Red Lions where the Blazers nearly pulled off a stunning upset with a 79-78 loss, Lastimosa joined forces with lefty rookie Jonathan Grey and Luis Sinco in keeping the game close.
However, San Beda’s Garvo Lanete and Dave Marcelo countered every St Benilde rally with some key shots in the fourth quarter to register their third straight win and second-best 13-2 record.
It was the third consecutive defeat of the Blazers, who now fall to 5-10 and would need to win all their remaining matches to at least have a chance to make the semis for the first time since 2003.
The game, however, didn’t end without some controversy as the Blazers filed a protest after the final buzzer citing a situation where Lastimosa was forced to sit the last 2:47 of the contest by game officials.
Lastimosa drew a foul on San Beda rookie Baser Amer after he got poked in the eye. Apparently, CSB’s physical therapy entered the court without permission by either of the three referees thus requiring him to go back in the bench.
At the same time, Lastimosa, who was supposed to shoot two freethrows, was replaced by rookie Michael Pate, thus requiring him to stay on the sidelines for the next three minutes.
With CSB trailing 74-67 at that point, Lastimosa never returned to the contest.
NCAA commissioner Aric del Rosario said that the second rule was recently approved by the Management Committee as part of its house rules.
While the Blazers did file a protest, coach Richard del Rosario said that they are only seeking clarification on the said rules.
Lastimosa, who left the team two weeks ago following a misunderstanding between both his family and school, finished with 15 points and three rebounds.
“Siyempre masaya kasi naresolve na nung family ko at ng school yung nangyari,” said Lastimosa, who enrolled last weekend in time for the school’s second trimester and joined the team practice on Tuesday.
Grey had 14 points, six rebounds and three assists while Luis Sinco tallied 12 points for the Blazers.
Led by the three, CSB even had short leads in the first half then had to rally from a couple of 10-point leads to pull within three points in the third.
St Benilde needs to beat Letran on Monday, Emilio Aguinaldo College on Oct. 7 and Lyceum on Oct. 10 and hope that Jose Rizal University, Mapua and Lyceum fails to win more than eight games to force a possible knockout game for the last Final Four berth.
The scores:
SAN BEDA 84 – Lanete 25, Marcelo 18, Amer 9, dela Rosa 6, Sorela 5, Pascual J. 4, Caram 4, Pascual K. 4, Semerad A. 3, Lim 3, Pontejos 3, Villahermosa 0.
ST BENILDE 75 – Lastimosa 15, Grey 14, Sinco 12, Taha 8, Pate 8, Tan 7, de la Paz 5, Altamirano 4, Carlos 2, McCoy 0.
Quarters: 16-19; 39-33; 60-50; 84-75.
