Olivarez, PCU-D arrange duel for UCAL Season 7 title

MANILA, Philippines — Olivarez College and Philippine Christian University-Dasmarinas made quick work of their semifinal foes to arrange a best-of-three Finals showdown in the UCAL-PGFlex Linoleum 7th Season on Thursday, March 27, at the Paco Arena in Manila.

The two squads, which finished 1-2 at the end of the two-phase elimination round, did not have to use their twice-to-beat armors with the OC Sea Lions surviving Diliman College Blue Dragons, 63-60 and the PCU-D Dolphins eliminating ICC Blue Hawks, 79-70.

The victories didn't come without a scare, however, with Olivarez needing a clutch performance from Hanz Maycong who saved his team some blushes and lifted them to their fifth Finals appearance in their seventh season in UCAL.

Maycong finished with 16 points — none bigger than the jumper that put the Sea Lions ahead for good, 61-60, with a little over a minute left as well as the game-sealing free throws with seven seconds left.

Jhon Patrick Panelo actually top-scored for Olivarez with 19 points while Rodel Renon had 13 points and Hakim Njiasse hauled down 18 rebounds to go with seven points.

PCU-D, on the other hand, needed a huge fourth quarter rally to shake off the hard-fighting ICC, unloading a pivotal 11-2 run that turned a slim 67-65 lead into a commanding 78-67 advantage with two minutes left in the contest.

Ram Mesqueriola and Kingsley Anaba led the Dolphins with 19 and 17 points respectively while Dave Bagatnan added 15 to power their team to its first-ever Finals in the league.

Olivarez, which topped the eliminations with a 10-3 record, is looking to get over the hump and claim its first title after repeatedly settling as bridesmaid in the first four tries.

For PCU-D, it’s been the closest they have gone to the championship since they joined the league in 2018.

Game 1 of the UCAL Season 7 Finals is on April 3 still at the Paco Arena.