Colegio de San Juan de Letran may have picked the best time to end its two-year winning drought against rival San Beda University in NCAA Season 100.
This, following the Knights' 75-71 victory against the Red Lions' in another installment of their storied rivalry on Sunday.
Letran last tasted victory against San Beda during the round-robin elimination of Season 97 that saw the Knights went all the way undefeated to the title in 2022.
With their backs against the wall, the Knights not only improved to 8-9 in the standings, but also boosted their confidence heading into their last must-win game of the elimination against Arellano University on Wednesday.
“Alam n'yo naman, parang matalo na sa iba, natalo na nga ako sa iba eh. I'm just joking, you know. At 'yun, again. Siyempre, matalo na sa iba, huwag lang sa San Beda,” Letran head coach Allen Ricardo.
“But, ayun na nga. Na-close namin itong game na to. And then, we focus on the next, Arellano,” he added.
Ricardo inherited a Letran squad who finished with just two wins in Season 99 and had to clean up the pieces from last season’s disappointing finish.
With all this in mind, the victory seemed sweeter than ever as Letran continues to hold on to a potential semifinal return.
“So special right now, kasi nung kasama ko si Coach Louie, hindi kami nanalo sa San Beda when I was an assistant coach. But kidding aside, medyo, alam mo 'yun... limitado pa ako that time. I'm just starting,” Ricardo said.
“Sabi ko nga kanina, nung nakita ko 'yung crowd, [you] just you to make a good start. Kailangan maka-good start kami. Then somehow, little by little, you know, quarters by quarters, medyo, ma-sustain lang ngayon.”
“But again, it's very special, especially coaching the Letran Knights.”
“I’m speechless with this win, but again, we focus on the next,” he concluded.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
