In his best game so far in the NCAA Season 99 juniors basketball tournament, Titing Manalili was almost unstoppable.
The graduating 6-foot guard detonated for 35 points on 64 percent shooting alongside nine rebounds and nine assists to flirt with a triple-double and starred in a massive 97-80 Game 1 win against the Perpetual Junior Altas.
With the victory, the Squires have inched closer to a rare back-to-back title feat.
Manalili later revealed that a visit from former Letran star Kevin Alas during one of their practices sparked this dominant outing.
Alas, of course, is one of the successful products out of the Letran junior and seniors team where he cemented his legacy en route to making a name in the professional league.
"Sinasabi sa amin ni kuya Kevin Alas na relax lang kami and antayin namin na ‘yung laro ‘yung lalapit sa amin," Manalili said on Saturday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.
(Kuya Kevin Alas said we should just relax and wait for the game to come to us.)
This patience and composure definitely paid off for the defending champions.
Pitted against a squad known for its ability to storm back from big deficits, Letran made sure to start off hot. The Squires were quick to build a 13-point lead early in the game, before the Junior Altas rallied and took a 46-45 halftime lead.
But the wards of head coach Allen Ricardo flipped the switch in the third period, where Manalili and other usual suspects George Diamante, Syrex Silorio, and Jolo Navarro connived as they pulled away for good.
"Nakita niyo naman nu'ng first quarter lamang kami and then second quarter, nakabalik ‘yung Perpetual, we just told the boys during the halftime na we just have to stay composed offensively para maka-pull away and ayon nangyari naman. Nakinig sila doon sa game plan and then we controlled the fourth quarter," Ricardo said.
(You saw in the first quarter that we were leading and then the second quarter, Perpetual came back and we just told the boys at the halftime that we just have to stay composed offensively so we can pull away and that's what happened. They listened to the game plan and then we controlled the fourth quarter.)
Aside from Alas, who was a two-time NCAA Mythical Five member in the senior ranks, other former Letran standouts like Mark Cruz, JP Calvo, and King Caralipio also paid a visit to the Squires for their preparations.
"Lahat ng Letranista syempre nasa iisang grupo lang and they are just trying to motivate us, feed some info para makatulong," Ricardo added.
(All Letranites are in one group and they are just trying to motivate us, feed some information so they can help.)
—JKC/GMA Integrated News
