THE historic rivalry between the San Beda Red Lions and the Letran Knights is back after six seasons in the 101st National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball tournament.
And the Knights hope to continue picking up the momentum after winning their best-of-three title series with the Red Lions back in the last two seasons that they have met, in seasons 91 and 95.
This time, a new playoff format will be in place when both teams scuffle for the early lead in Game 1 on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.
“The players have surrendered themselves (individually) to the team. Lahat sila, gusto nila magpakita ng galing nila. So, sinurrender nila ang mga sarili nila sa mga ginagawa namin,” said Knights’ coach Allen Ricardo on the sacrifices the players went through, after they pulled off a 2-0 sweep of the top-seeded Perpetual Altas in the Final Four to secure a finals berth again after three seasons.
In reaching the championship round, the Knights went through a tough start, losing their first three games, before ending up as the third seed in Group B, with an 8-9 win-loss record, beating Arellano in the quarterfinals.
Six key players have led the Knights’ cause, along the way, behind memorable plays from rookie Jonathan “Titing” Manalili, Jimboy Estrada, Jun Roque, Deo Cuajao, Kevin Santos and Mark Omega.
The Red Lions are rerturning to the finals, some three seasons after beating the Mapua Cardinals back in 2023.
“It’s going to be tough. We have to prepare well, and we have to lock with the same character. Kailangan lumabas din ‘yun sa finals series namin,” said Red Lions’ coach Yuri Escueta, who believes that team has to show the trait of resilience, clutch performance, and strong perimeter shooting, that they have displayed in the past, to survive a tough series with the Knights.
Last Sunday, the Red Lions arranged a finals’ clash with the Knights after turning back the College of St. Benilde Blazers in a do-or-die Game 3, 84-81.
Their fortunes expected to go with the games of talented players like Yuki Andrada, who scored a season-high 27 points in Game 3, and rookie Filam Janti Miller, Bryan Sajonia and Nygel Gonzales.
Andrada is considered a veteran leader and the “pride of Lions from Mendiola,” providing critical scoring and rebounding.
Miller is known for his leadership in scoring and in earning Player of the Game honors. His all-around play and defensive contributions have also bailed the Red Lions out of trouble.
Overall, the two squads will plunge into action with a total of 17 finals’ encounters behind them.
For now, San Beda takes comfort in knowing that they have a slight advantage over Letran in head-to-head finals series lead of 10-7.
Earlier, the Letran Squires will meet the Arellano Braves in Game 1 of the junior finals’ series at 11 a.m.
The Squires are on their third finals appearance in the last four seasons.
