By REYNALD MAGALLON
Jordan Sta. Ana and Justin Arana formed the one-two punch as Arellano beat San Sebastian, 65-63, to open its NCAA campaign on good note yesterday at the La Salle Greenhills Gym.
The duo combined for 30 of the team’s total output as the Chiefs battled back from 14-points down before holding on to their defense in the final play to escape with the victory.
Arana, who had to be stretchered out of the gym after hurting his knee late in the final frame, still finished with a double-double of 16 points and 15 rebounds on top of the four blocks.
Missing their main man in the final minutes, it was Sta. Ana who made the big plays down the stretch on the way to finishing with 14 points and two boards, none bigger than the last one when he collared the rebound off his own miss.
That resulted in an extra possession which sent Kalen Doromal to the foul line, giving Arellano a two-point cushion, 65-63 with three ticks left.
San Sebastian still had the chance to reclaim the lead and take the victory with a three but Michael Are missed the well-contested three-point attempt at the buzzer.
Chiefs head coach Cholo Martin lauded his wards as they stepped-up in the crunch time after losing the Season 95 Defensive player of the year to the injury.
“Nagusap-usap sila, so depensa talaga yung kailangan namin kasi lamang kami ng two points nung nainjure siya (Arana). So kailangan naman ay dumepensa luckily nakuha namin yung bola,” said Martin.
Trailing by double digits early in the final frame, Arellano unleashed a back breaking 13-2 run capped by a Raymart Sablan trey to give Chief the lead, 62-60, to which they never relinquished until the final buzzer.
Ichie Altamirano paced the Stags with 16 markers before also exiting the game after hurting his ankle. JM Calma also stepped up for the team, unloading 11 of his 13 points in the second quarter.
Both teams started out swinging in the opening frame as they exchanged runs with the Stags unloading a 9-0 start, seven of those from Altamirano. A quick timeout from coach Cholo woke up the Chiefs as they fired a 10-0 counter to take the lead.
The Stags seemed to have adjusted well to the departure of its Season 95 top players, Allyn Bulanadi and RK Ilagan as Calma and Altamirano carried the flight for the Stags in the first half. The two however cooled down at the height of the Chiefs rally in the payoff period.
The Scores:
ARELLANO 65 ‒ Arana 16, Sta. Ana 14, Valencia 9, Sablan 8, Doromal 7, Talampas 2, Carandang 2, Uri 2, Caballero 2, Ababstillas 2, Concepcion 1, Oliva 0, Steinl 0, Dela Cruz 0.
SAN SEBASTIAN 63 ‒ Altamirano 16, Calma 13, Villapando 10, Calahat 8, Sumoda 8, Are 4, Una 2, Desoyo 2, Ra. Gabat 0, Cosari 0, Re. Gabat 0, Loristo 0.
Quarters: 13-14, 29-33, 45-53, 65-63.
