At the conclusion of the third game day of the NCAA Season 100 Juniors Basketball last Sunday, March 2, San Beda looked like they're in a league of their own after taking down Perpetual, who's joined by EAC, CSB-LSGH, JRU, and AU in the middle of the standings with 2-1 records.
Mapúa fell to 1-2, so did the reigning NCAA juniors kings Letran. LPU and SSC-R, meanwhile, remained winless in their campaigns. Scores, highlights, and more in this edition of the #NCAA100 Juniors Basketball Recap.
(Scores and results reflect games only as of March 2, 2025)
LPU Junior Pirates vs EAC Brigadiers
EAC won, 93-84.
Three quarters of Brigadiers domination were enough for EAC to hold off the LPU Junior Pirates and their uprising in the fourth, as the red-and-white of head coach Noy Catalan claimed their second win against one loss in the juniors tilt last Sunday.
EAC guard Ian Cuajao exploded for another 30-piece– his second in only three games this season– shooting an efficient 8/13 from beyond the arc. EJ Castillo was Mr. Efficient with 17 markers on 7-of-9 field goal shooting and a perfect free throw clip, to go along with 4 boards and 3 assists.
LPU absorbed their third loss in as many games.
Mapúa Red Robins vs CSB-LSGH Greenies
CSB-LSGH won, 76-73.
The Greenies returned to the win column after eking out a hard-fought victory over the Red Robins, with scoring leader Guillian Quines posting a 17-5-5 statline to power CSB-LSGH to their second #NCAA100 win.
The Renren Ritualo-coached squad had to dig deep in the endgame as the Red Robins just would not go down without a fight. Allan Laurenario gave Mapúa the lead, 69-68, with two minutes left, but Quines, known as a crafty scorer, reclaimed the spotlight and extinguished Mapúa’s hopes with two straight buckets.
The Greenies improved to 2-1, while the Red Robins fell to 1-2.
Letran Squires vs JRU Light Bombers
JRU won, 68-67.
JRU seemed to have found their rhythm after welcoming a brand new head tactician during the off season in Coach Nani Epondulan, as they followed up their slim win over LPU with a thrilling upset versus the defending champs Letran.
The Light Bombers were neck-and-neck with the Squires almost the entirety of the second half, ultimately settling for a precarious one-point win. JRU forward James Almario impressed with 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 dimes, detonating four threes in the process.
JRU claimed their second win of the season (2-1), while Letran absorbed their second loss (1-2).
Perpetual Junior Altas vs San Beda Red Cubs
San Beda won, 83-80.
The battle of undefeated teams went the Red Cubs’ way as they improved to a perfect 3-0 record in Season 100 following their disposal of last year’s finalists.
San Beda went off in the early goings of the game. They even led by 19 at one point in the second quarter, before the Junior Altas got to work and shot from all cylinders in the third.
It was MJ Vailoces who once again shone the brightest for Coach Miko Roldan, leading all scorers with 24 points, laced with seven boards and a steal. Francis Dollente’s four triples en route to 18 points also helped the cause.
Arellano Braves vs San Sebastian Staglets
Arellano won, 95-74.
The Braves made sure to squeeze themselves in the middle of the pack with a dub over the erstwhile winless San Sebastian Staglets, spearheaded by Johnray Ladica’s 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.
It was all Arellano from start to finish, spoiling the efforts of SSC-R’s Sanlea Penaverde who poured in 24 points and 6 boards for his squad.
Arellano moved up to 2-1 after the game, while San Sebastian dropped to 0-3.
