"Every game is just a celebration, the real battle is in practice."
These are the words coach Joph Cleopas emphatically spoke of after the Perpetual Juniors Altas' very first game in the NCAA Season 99 juniors basketball tournament back on February 10 against Lyceum of the Philippines University.
True enough, his wards lived by this mantra as they weaved what has been an unforgettable campaign so far after making the finals for the first time in history and arranged a championship duel against defending champion Colegio de San Juan de Letran.
And they are out to put an even better ending to their fairy tale.
How they got here
One wouldn't really get intimidated by the Junior Altas, given how the squad fared in the previous years that saw them miss the Final Four almost all the time. But five games into the season, they've already flipped the narrative.
The Las Piñas crew immediately buckled down to work by eking out an 89-75 victory against the Junior Pirates with Lebron Jhames Daep shining with an all-around outing before they won their next four games, which included two matches where they breached 100-point performances against LSGH and Arellano.
They, however, were dealt with a bump on the road when they absorbed their first beating of the season against Mapua. The good thing about it, though, was it's only a one-point loss after falling to the Red Robins, 71-72.
The Junior Altas then regrouped, closing out the elimination round on a three-game winning streak against Jose Rizal University, San Sebastian College-Recoletos, and, most importantly, Letran. In their wins against the Light Bombers and the Staglets, Perpetual once again poured in more than 100 points, making them the top offensive team with 94.22 markers a game while limiting their foes to just 78.89 points.
By virtue of their impressive 8-1 win-loss card, the Junior Altas booked a semifinals spot buoyed up by a twice-to-beat bonus against fourth-ranked Mapua.
Driven by their elimination round loss to the Red Robins, the Junior Altas made sure there won't be a collapse this time around. Daep and seldom-used Jan Roluna took the scoring cudgels while MVP frontrunner Amiel Acido provided a steady presence as they marched on to the finals.
What they're up against
After overcoming these teams, the Junior Altas needed to hurdle another fierce and formidable opponent with the title at stake.
Fortunately for them, they already know how — or at least have an idea how — to neutralize the Squires after their elimination round meeting that saw Acido take charge with 27 points, eight rebounds, and two assists to steer their 94-88 stunner against the two-peat seeking Letran.
The 19-year-old Acido also got plenty of help in that win, where rookie Mark Gojo Cruz and second year guard Jan Pagulayan combined for 31 markers built on five triples as they handed the Squires their only second loss of the season.
And while the Junior Altas is an offensive threat, the Squires are among the best defensive teams.
The Allen Ricardo-mentored Letran had only limited its foes to 75.22 points and 20.78 free throws attempts in a game, the lowest in the league. Letran is also second in steals with 7.56 a game led by Titing Manalili, who is averaging 2.22 swats.
Cleopas said these wins would not matter if they would not get the result they all wanted in the first place: the championship.
"I really respect every team. You can only say na malakas kayo if you do your job and then get the result. You cannot say na malakas ka if wala pa diyan. We take every game as our last game," he said.
(I really respect every team. You can say one team is strong if you do your job and then get the result. You cannot say you are strong if you're not yet there. We take every game as our last game.)
The X-factors
All eyes will be on Acido.
The graduating team captain leads the Junior Altas in almost all aspects, putting together 17.67 points to rank fifth in the league in scoring after the elimination round.
He also collected 10.0 rebounds, the third best in the tournament behind JRU bruisers Martin Pineda (11.89) and Paul Enal (10.75), while also listing 4.11 assists and 0.67 steals to move two wins away from ending his high school stint as a champion.
But through 10 games, the Junior Altas have proven they aren't just a one-man show.
Cleopas has the luxury of a deep bench with the likes of Gojo Cruz, Pagulayan, and Daep displaying their worth.
Gojo Cruz ranks fourth in assists with 4.67 dimes per game while he and Pagulayan emerged as the eighth and ninth best scorers with 15.0 and 14.11 markers, respectively. The 6-foot-7 Daep, meanwhile, is their fourth best offensive weapon with 13.78 points on top of 6.78 boards, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.33 blocks.
Perpetual has a lot more in its arsenal with Aries Borja, Jan Roluna, Xedric Diaz, Regie Ayon, Icee Callangan, and Wayne Valencia leading their bench mob.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
