By MARK REY MONTEJO
Titing Manalili erupted with a career-high 35 points and helped power defending champion Letran to a surprisingly convincing 97-80 win over top seed University of Perpetual Help at the start of the NCAA Season 99 juniors basketball finals on Saturday, March 16, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
In front of huge, roaring spectators, Manalili was a joy to watch as he practically staged a shooting clinic, sparking the Squires’ second half onslaught to turn what was expected to be a close contest into a rout.
But more than that, his one-man show pushed the Squires closer to back-to-back championships feat.
Letran will go for that goal when they clash in Game 2 of their best-of-three title series on Wednesday, March 20, also at the same venue.
Manalili’s 35-point explosion is so far to the highest output this season – some of them came early in the fourth that saw them erect an 83-63 advantage.
In the third quarter, the Squires outscored the Junior Altas, 32-15, to gain a 77-61 advantage.
The MVP frontrunner delivered in almost all aspects of the game as he finished with 9 rebounds, 9 assists, and four steals while June Silorio backed him up with 15 points. George Diamante Jr. also shone with a double-double of 14 points and 16 rebounds.
The Intramuros-based squad actually started hot, leading as many as 11 points before the Junior Altas – playing in the finals for the first time in four decades – struck back and went into half-time break with a 46-45 lead.
But the Squires woke up from a deep slumber and slowly but surely turned things around behind Manalili’s sniping.
Apart from Manalili’s offensive brilliance, the Squires silenced Perpetual’s top gunner with their rock-solid defense.
It was Jan Pagulayan who top scored for Perpetual with 17 points as the usually reliable Arniel Acido was held to 10 points – clearly a victim of Letran’s suffocating defense.
