St. Benilde eyes blazing finish

St. Benilde, which has overachieved with an amazing run of victories, hopes to cap its incredible season when it goes for the clincher against San Sebastian in Game Two of their NCAA best-of-three title showdown at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum today.

Earlier, the Mapua Red Robins and the Letran Squires collide in a winner-take-all match in the juniors division.

Finding an unlikely hero in Mark Magsumbol, the Blazers nipped the Stags, 66-64, Monday to move within a win of their first crown since joining the league only two years ago.

Coach Dong Vergeire believes there will be no stopping the Blazers from gaining the ultimate glory in the league if they can sustain the momentum of their stirring win in Game One.

Coach Turo Valenzona, however, thinks the series is far from over with his Stags capable of playing big with their back against the wall.

The Stags have pulled off several escape acts in the season but they face a team high on morale and playing inspired ball after barging into the title playoff last week.

And if the Blazers succeed in claiming the biggest reversal in the league in recent years, they will provide a sweet follow-up to the storied three-peat of sister school La Salle which earned the feat Thursday in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines ( UAAP).

"Yes, it’s not yet over. We do expect San Sebastian to bounce back but we are ready for them," said Vergeire.

"I’ve told the players our job is not yet done. But if we play with the same intensity and aggressiveness as in Game One, then we’ll have a good chance of ending the series right in Game Two," he added.

Valenzona, however, is confident the Stags will extend the series to a sudden death with his mainstays taking the cudgels for the embattled team. He added: "Hindi nag-click ang mga beterano ko noong Game One but I expect them to play better this time. I’ll make some adjustments. I think what we only need is to play as a team and we’ll be back in business."