FilOil: Knights trample Nationals, bow out of tournament with .500 record

The Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights concluded their FilOil Flying V-Hanes Premier Cup campaign with a 30-point shellacking of the RP Youth Under-18 Team, 93-63, on Friday at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

The Knights only led by five after the first half but stormed out to a 26-point third quarter, playing their brand of physical NCAA basketball which limited the Nationals to just nine points. The NCAA runners-up totaled 50 points in a strong second half while the National squad tallied only 25, limited to juste a 29 percent shooting clip after making 34 percent at the half.

Letran finishes the Premier Cup with a 3-3 card, good for fourth, falling short of a win to at least get a fighting chance for a quarterfinals slot. The Nationals finish the tourney with a 0-6 card, the only team to remain winless after the league adopted a three-group, round robin format in the elimination round.

“The point of the FilOil [tournament] is to gain experience,” said Letran head coach Caloy Garcia, who cites the departure of center Raymond Almazan for the PBA as a huge loss. “Lumaki lang kami sa guard position, so we have to work on that.”

Reserve swingman Fidel Castro scored a team-high 16 points, making all four of his attempts from downtown. Ford Ruaya punched in 14 points, with nine coming in the fourth, to go along with six rebounds in just 17 minutes of play. Rey Namabatac chimed in with 11.

The Knights lorded over the glass with 63 boards while shooting 45 percent from downtown.

Letran was without mainstays Mark Cruz and Kevin Racal, whom coach Caloy Garcia opted to rest for today's match. Every player for Letran scored at least two points, save for reserve JC Po.

Garcia fielded his reserves to start the game, going with a lineup of Ivan Dela Peña, JP Calvo, Andre Pantin, Daryl Singontiko, and JJ Manlangit. The Nationals had a hard time finding their range as the Knights' surplus off height kept them away from the rim. The U18 Team managed to hang around with the big boys though as they trailed by just a deuce after the first quarter, 19-17.

“I want them [the reserves] to get more experience in the preseason for this coming NCAA tournament. Yung start namin kanina medyo sluggish so it’s more about developing their character and letting them feel each other out,” said Garcia of his first unit.

Rey Nambatac caught fire early in the second, draining two quick triples, but Ranbill Tongco engaged him in a shoot-out, scoring five of his own. The younger squad tied the game thrice and actually led at one point after Paul Desiderio sank free throws, 36-35, but Fidel Castro kickstarted an 8-2 run to give them a five-point advantage to conclude the first half, 43-38.

Nambatac paced his team with 11 first half points on top of five rebounds, while Castro chimed in with six. The Knights had five early triples on 11 attempts and had the upper hand in the rebounding department, 26-22.

Paul Desiderio topped his team in scoring at the half with 11 points, along with four rebounds, while Tongco pitched in with nine points, three boards, and two dimes.

The Knights flexed their muscle early in the third, drawing fouls from the Nationals' big men to put them in a penalty situation as early as the six-minute mark, as they led by nine, 51-42. Letran tore up the Nationals' tired defense with fast break baskets, leading by as much as 18 points, 64-46. Letran limited their younger counterparts to just nine points as they held a 17-point cushion entering the fourth, 64-47.

The rout was on in the fourth as Castro drained two quick triples to up the lead to 23 points, 70-47, and it all went downhill from there for the Nationals. The lead reached its zenith at at 32 after Felix Apreku banked in a hook, 87-55.

“We have to choose only 15 players for the NCAA and we have 22. That means we just have to reevaluate [the players]. Wala pa laming definite na line-up,” Garcia finished.

Paul Desiderio scored 15 points and grabbed five boards for his side while Mark Dyke tallied a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Southpaw Jolo Go added 11 points on 15 shots. The Nationals grabbed only 37 rebounds and shot a paltry 29 percent from the field, making only 21 of 72 of their attempts. - JDL, GMA News


The scores:

CSJL 93 - Castro 16, Ruaya 14, Nambatac 11, Calvo 9, Singontiko 7, Luib 6, Gabawan 6, Manlangit 6, Sumalacay 4, Apreku 3, Pantin 3, Quinto 2, Publico 2, Saldua 2, Po 0

RP U18 63 - Desiderio 15, Dyke 12, Go 11, Tongco 9, Yu 5, Caracut 5, Manguera 5, Subido 1, Escoto 0, Mosqueda 0, Balanza 0, Rivero 0

Quarter scoring: 19-17, 43-38, 64-47, 93-63