BENCH players Evan Nelle and Germy Mahinay gave San Beda the unexpected lift as the Red Cubs won their seventh consecutive National Collegiate Athletic Association junior basketball championship.
The big plays of shooting guard Nelle and big man Mahinay allowed the Red Cubs to hold their ground in the third quarter and outplay the Arellano University Braves for a 70-61 win.
The Red Cubs clinched a record-setting seventh straight junior title after Game 3 of their best-of-three finals series in the 91st NCAA at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“I feel fullfilled. Kahit paano, pinaghirapan ito,” said Red Cubs coach JB Sison, who asked his players to focus on winning the championship.
Nelle was not even in the mythical five during the elimination round. But Nelle’s performance in Game 1 and in Game 3, when he tallied a game high 13 points, merited him the finals MVP award.
He drained three of five triples in four minutes to help the Red Cubs move away.
His big game allowed the Red Cubs to pull off their second consecutive triumph in their finals series with the Braves.
“Suerte lang. Coming into this game, I had a lot of turnovers. Dami kong mali. So, coming into this game, we should come back. We should win this one. No more losing,” said Nelle joined the team after transferring from La Salle Zobel where he finished grade school.
Nelle is not even in the top 10 of the overall statistical race. He is no. 17 in the rankings with 628 points.
One of the San Beda centers, Sam Abuhijle, is the leading Red Cubs in the race with 839 points, and at no. 4.
“He (Nelle) is the same as the others. He’s hardworking. My team has no superstars. Whoever has a good game steps up. Yun yung deserving ang minutes. So, you can see the spread on points. You can choose anyone as the MVP,” said Sison.
Mahinay, a big man from Taytay, delivered the most in the final game with 15 markers and 11 rebounds.
“Maraming foul, pero nagawa ko pa rin ang best ko sa team namin,” said Mahinay.
The Arellano University Braves put up a good challenge right from the start.
On the other hand, the Red Cubs were short on manpower, with two injured wingmen not seeing action. The players were injured in Game 2.
As the game got under way, Resty Fornis hit five points and combined for nine with Nino Tamayo as the Braves took charge, 17-14, in the first period.
After Robi Nayve scored on a drive to put San Beda on top, Guilmer de la Torre struck twice with his drives, ending the half with the Braves in the lead, 32-30.
De la Torre shot 15 points and he drained one of two threes in the last 8:59.
This allowed the Braves to move ahead by eight, 38-30.
But the Red Cubs went on to turn the tables on the Braves in the next instance.
A change in defense, from man to zone, did the trick.
During the transition, Addie Velasquez drove in and and hit a trey, and Nelle unleashed another triple during an 11-0 blast who allowed them to overtake the Braves, 47-43.
Prince Etrata, who made eight points, went for a jumper, and Albert Bordeos stole off de la Torre and drove in in the last eight minutes, handing San Beda a 58-51 lead.
De la Torre replied with a triple which kept Arellano in the thick of the fight, 54-58.
After Mahinay’s jumper with 5:50, allowed San Beda to maintain a 60-55 lead, they forced Arellano to four turnovers in their effort to protect their six-point lead.
Then, Nelle unloaded a trey, and San Beda gained an eight-point spread, 63-55, in the final 4:12.
Nelle’s final triple and Mahinay’s layup with 3:42 left gave the Red Cubs a 65-54 edge in the last period.
“I did not expect it naman. I was trying to control the game with teammates, pass the ball properly. Suerte lang,” said Nelle.
Guilmer de la Torre powered the Braves with 15 points while Lars Sunga and Nino Tamayo added 13 and 12 points.
