Winning Knights celebrate on center court after finishing the Blazers, 2-1, in the NCAA Finals to win the school’s first three peat runs since 1984. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ
Pushed into a corner by an enemy who had everything to gain in a life-and-death battle, Letran on Sunday displayed the poise and character of champions as the Knights destroyed St. . Benilde, 81-67, to complete an NCAA Men’s Basketball Peat Three that will be held at Intramuros for the first time in nearly four decades.
King Caralipio dropped 20 points in 10 bounces, his excellence in the second quarter sent the Knights to some double-digit leads the Blazers game couldn’t come close to scoring when Letran won his 20th tournament championship.
It was also the first time the Knights had won the event three years in a row since the great Avelino “Samboy” Lim led the team to the crown from 1982 to 1984. The school finally achieved the feat. is San Beda in 2018.
Letran’s performance in Game 3 is undoubtedly one of the best it has played this season, as Knights were without captain Fran Yu, who sat out the last game of his school career. college after being knocked out of the second game by the Blazers.
“Of course, we lost some players in this series. That’s the biggest difference in our previous titles. It’s good that we’ve adjusted and so have our players,” said Letran coach Bonnie Tan.
Brent Paraiso finished with 16 points to claim a third championship, while Kobe Monje returned to finish with 11 points.
Hard work is rewarded
Miguel Corteza scored 14 points with seven pounds, while Jimboy Pasturan scored 10. Will Gozum, who was sent off in the fourth inning after a disqualification foul, scored just 10 points and two tables.
Caralipio went on to win the Finals Player of the Year award, a well-deserved reward for all the hard work he put in, for which Tan paid off with game time during the season. this.
“With King, even before, when he started with us, he was limited,” said Tan. “But he persisted. We know what he brings to us on the pitch due to his hard work. There is no unhappiness with hard work.”
Benilde leads, 77-60, 4:36 left. Corteza then triggered a 6-0 breakout to keep the Blazers at bay mathematically.
However, Gozum made a foul that caused the Blazers to be disqualified. Benilde continues to score a point after Gozum is forced to take a bath.
The Knights took a three-man lead at the end of the first frame, only to overtake the Blazers in the second half with a 19-5 bomb to take a 43-26 lead with the score still 4:24 before halftime. Letran finally opened the third with a 51-33 lead. request
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