Red Lions frustrate Chiefs for the second time in three years; Arnaud Noah captures Finals MVP plum
Story: Diego de la Paz (@diegodelapazSOA)
Photo: Peter Baltazar
A year ago, San Beda was expected to win it all, but wilted under pressure to eventual champion Letran and its “house of chaos” defense orchestrated by then-Head Coach Aldin Ayo.
Fast forward to this season: the Red Lions, counted out by pundits after the untimely loss of center Donald Tankoua to an ACL injury, defied all odds and took out Arellano University in a classic finish, 83-73, to sweep its NCAA Season 92 seniors basketball finals series on Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
In a tight fourth quarter where the Red Lions led by just three at the start, 63-60, the Red Lions’ “closer” in Davon Potts came alive with consecutive three-point buckets to create distance from the Chiefs. He finished with 10 points, all in the final 10 minutes of the contest.
Jiovani Jalalon, the lone local-born player named in the league’s Mythical Five, kept his team afloat with much-needed buckets to keep the game close.
But in the last three minutes of the contest, the vaunted San Beda defense clicked at the right time and kept Arellano without a point to close out the match and the team’s ninth title in the last 11 years.
Arnaud Noah played consistently throughout the match, topping all Red Lions scorers with 18 points and 11 rebounds to earn the Finals Most Valuable Player award. AC Soberano tallied 16 points, with Robert Bolick and Javee Mocon producing 13 and 10, respectively.
Jalalon, who was hobbled with foul trouble early by picking up his third personal foul with 3:13 left in the first quarter, wound up with 19 points with 10 assists and seven rebounds in what could be his final game in the NCAA.
THE SCORES:
SAN BEDA 83 – Noah 18, Soberano 16, Bolick 13, Mocon 10, Potts 10, Sara 7, Presibtero 5, Adamos 2, Bonsubre 2, Tongco 0, Optana 0, Carlos 0, Alas 0
ARELLANO 73 – Jalalon 19, Enriquez 14, Nicholls 12, Canete 8, Gumaru 6, Meca 5, Salado 4, Cadavis 4, Flores 1, Holts 0, Villoria 0, Aguilar 0
Quarters: 18-25, 45-40, 63-60, 83-73
