Squires take Game 1

Game Thursday at the San Andres Sports Complex
2:30 p.m. – La Salle-Greenhills vs Letran

Letran moved closer to ending a 22-year title drought on Monday afternoon, emerging as 85-81 winners over La Salle-Greenhills in Game 1 of the NCAA Season 98 High School basketball finals at the San Andres Sports Complex in Manila.

The Squires rode on their sustained runs that allowed them to not only overcome a double-digit deficit, but also breaking the game open late.

After a Luis Pablo bucket to give the Greenies the lead at 72-70 with 7:11 left, Letran went on a 15-4 run to establish a 85-76 lead, capped off by a June Silorio triple with 2:42 left.

The Squires also caught fire from deep when it mattered the most. After missing their first seventeen triples, they went 4/7 from beyond the arc in the final period. In contrast, LSGH would go 2/8 in the second half after converting 6/17 in the first.

Silorio would finish with a career-high 27 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Freshly-minted NBTC All-Star Andy Gemao contributed 21 points, fourteen rebounds, five assists, and three steals, while George Diamante served up a gem with a twelve points and seventeen boards alongside four rejections and five dimes.

Pablo ended up with a near 20-20 performance, falling short by a rebound. Seven Gagate bucked foul trouble to net twelve points and thirteen rebounds, while adding three assists and a couple of steals. Aside from the Greenies' two NBTC All-Stars, Rod Alian rode on a hot start to finish with fourteen points and seven rebounds.

Speaking with the panel of Andrei Felix and Andrei Caracut, head coach Allen Ricardo notes that there is still unfinished business. When asked about what lies ahead for Game 2, he shares, "Just stay composed. Iyon ang pinaka-importante.  Yung championship series, na-experience nila ang Game 1, then after ng viewing, mare-realize nila what went wrong, what went right, what went good.  Going to Game 2, just stay composed, that's it."

Game 2 is scheduled on Thursday at the same venue, with LIVE broadcast on GTV as well as streaming on the league's social media platforms. A win for the Squires would secure their first title since 2001.

The scores:
Letran (85) -- Silorio 27, Gemao 21, Diamante 12, Manalili 9, Alforque 4, Anabo 4, Baliling 3, Hugo 2, Navarro 2, Cruz 1.

LSGH (81) -- Pablo 22, Alian 14, Gagate 12, Ison 10, Mesias 10, Rivero 6, Gomez 5, Romero 2, Zaragosa 0.

Quarterscores: 17-22, 41-44, 65-64, 85-81