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| Ivan Saldajeno |
By Ivan Saldajeno
PASAY—San Beda-Taytay clinched the second NCAA juniors basketball finals berth with a 102-93 win against Arellano in their knockout Final Four game at the Mall of Asia Arena on Tuesday.
The Red Cubs withstood yet another fight back from the Braves to earn the right to face the Malayan Red Robins in the best-of-three finals beginning Thursday at the said venue.
Four days after pulling a fourth quarter run to force the deciding match, Arellano came close to again completing a massive comeback against San Beda-Taytay, going on a huge second half outburst to cut what was once a 30-point lead down to just six, 91-85, with 3:40 left in the game.
San Beda-Taytay repulsed the comeback threat with a 7-0 run capped by a huge three from Prince Etrata with 2:40 to go as the team never looked back from there.
Robi Nayve led six Red Cubs in double figures with 17 points alongside six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Carlo Abadeza led the Braves, who played the last 5:29 of the game without Guilmer Dela Torre due to incurring five fouls, with 19 points, nine rebounds, one assist, and one block, but he committed five of their 28 turnovers.
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