Season MVP Christian Alonzo (L) willed his way to power La Consolacion to a seniors division four-peat. Courtesy of the ISAA Facebook page |
By Ricky Manliguis
History has been made.
La Consolacion College – Manila completes a historic “four-peat”
in both the seniors and juniors division after beating their respective rivals
in Game 2 of the Inter-Scholastic Athletic Association (ISAA) Season 15
basketball tournaments December 10 at the Trinity University of Asia gym in
Quezon City.
The Blue Royals fired a blistering third-quarter explosion,
then warded off a spirited comeback by ICCT Colleges to score an 88-85 win for
a sweep in the best-of-three seniors finals series.
Overcoming a 45-all first-half standoff, the Kenyon Chee-mentored squad fired a 10-2 blast in the final five minutes of the third to go
into the final 10 minutes with a 68-54 cushion.
The lead even ballooned to 15 points in the fourth quarter,
79-64, courtesy of a Christian Alonzo split from the free throw line. It was at
that point that the Blue Dragons mounted an uprising, with veteran Carlos Reyes
unleashing back-to-back triples to come within four, 80-84, with just 1:18
left.
Alonzo later slotted in four of his six free throws to seal
the ballgame.
Alonzo, later named the season's Most Valuable Player (MVP),
finished with a game-high 28 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and three
steals for LCCM. Finals MVP Kenneth Castillo and JM Urmeneta both cashed in 16,
while Eyle Cordaño finished with 13.
Jon Arimado finished with 19 points while Kurth Mapua
chipped in 18 points for ICCT, runners-up for the second consecutive season.
Reyes saved his best game for last, firing 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting from
downtown. The team also played without their captain and talisman Jun Reign
Baculio, who sustained a knee injury in Game 1.
Kenneth Remot and the rest of the LCCM Baby Blue Royals are champions once more. Courtesy of the ISAA Facebook page |
In the juniors final, the boys from Mendiola also waved off
a spirited fightback by Paul Resara and the AirLink Junior Blazing Phoenix for
a 75-68 win and likewise scored its fourth consecutive league title.
Kenneth Remot and Alejandro Garcia feasted in the shaded
lane while newly-minted season MVP Marcus Saad waxed hot in the second half to
give the Baby Blue Royals a 2-0 series win.
Remot finished with 16 points and four rebounds, while
Garcia issued a double-double performance of 13 points and 16 boards coupled
with a pair of blocks.
Saad also registered 13 points, nine coming in the third
quarter that turned a slim 35-34 halftime lead into a 64-50 buffer going into
the fourth period.
Winzkyllo Sarangay was later adjudged as the Finals MVP of
the series, with averages of 17 points, eight assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.5
steals in the two games.
Resara’s 32-point explosion on 5-of-11 shooting from the three-point country went for naught as AirLink even came within seven points,
62-69, in the last 2:16 of the game. Gelris Bulilan was the only other Junior
Phoenix in double-digits with 15 markers.
In other matches, Immaculada Concepcion College dominated
from opening tip to down PATTS, 83-71, and salvaged the bronze medal in the seniors
division.
The two-headed Blue Hawks attack of Edrian Ramirez and
Alfred Flores took care of business once again with a combined 57 points for
the victory.
MJ Morada led the Seahorses with 21 points and 10 rebounds
in his final collegiate game, while Marjun Wahing and Elijah Jamon added 13 and
12, in that order.
Meanwhile, LCCM also dominated in the individual awards,
headlined by the MVP wins of Christian Alonzo and Marcus Saad.
Alonzo nabbed the seniors' Most Valuable Player (MVP) award with
averages of 18.22 points, 3.67 assists, 3.11 assists, and 2.78 steals in the
elimination round. His Blue Royal buddy Kenneth Castillo then won his second
consecutive Defensive Player of the Year plum.
Alonzo and Castillo also made it into the Seniors Mythical
Team, joining PATTS guard Joshua Bongon, AirLink’s Jovi Manlapig, and Alfred
Flores from ICC.
Marcus Saad then won the juniors' MVP trophy, averaging 18.5
points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.17 blocks in the
elimination round.
Accompany Saad in the Mythical squad are his LCCM teammate Winzkyllo
Sarangay, Paul Resara and Gelris Bulilan of AirLink, and Treston’s Julian Agapito.
Alejandro Garcia of LCCM took home the Defensive Player of the Season award.
THE SCORES:
1ST GAME (SENIORS BATTLE FOR 3RD)
ICC 83 – Ramirez 31, Flores 26, Seniedo 6, Vento 6, Delos
Santos 5, Omaga 4, Duarte 3, Monares 2, Paccarangan 0, Dela Cruz 0.
PATTS 71 – Morada 21, Wahing 13, Jamon 12, Bongon 9, Lopez
6, Belgado 4, Butao 4, Benitez 2, Alvarez 0, Caraballos 0.
QUARTERSCORES: 21-16, 43-37, 71-55, 83-71.
2ND GAME (JUNIORS)
LCCM 75 – Remot 16, Garcia 13, Saad 13, Sarangay 12, Lampert
11, Lapada 5, Bonado 4, Armendez 1, Pamintuan 0, Resurrecion 0.
ALIAC 68 – Resara 32, Bulilan 15, Mañalac 9, Cruz 6, Bathan 4, Onella
2, Allam 0, Cos 0, Lozano 0, Torrenueva 0.
QUARTERSCORES: 25-19, 35-34, 64-50, 75-68.
3RD GAME (SENIORS)
LCCM 88 – Alonzo 28, Castillo 16, Urmeneta 16, Cordaño
13, Aloro 8, Antonio 7, Ober 0, Pineda 0, De Sales 0, Valencia 0.
ICCT 85 – Arimado 19, Mapua 18, Reyes 15, Triste 15, Magno 9,
Katipunan 4, Pascua 3, Buban 2, Alvarado 0, Borja 0, Ducot 0, Magtulis 0.
QUARTERSCORES: 16-23, 45-all, 68-54, 88-85.