Playing minus Ronjay Enrile, the Knights flirted with disaster before escaping with a pulsating 65-64 victory Friday behind a huge triple by Jonathan Aldave with 3.2 seconds remaining to force a playoff for the one of the two slots in the best-of-three finals.
The Red Lions likewise kept their championship hopes alive following a 57-48 rout of the undermanned Altas in the other semis encounter with the duo of Jeff Bombeo and Yousif Aljamal keying the big San Beda victory.
With Enrile, last year’s finals MVP, back in the fold after a one-game suspension, Letran is expected to go full throttle in an attempt to keep its title-retention bid alive.
Enrile, in fact, apologized not only to the team but also to the whole Letran community and vowed in a mass attended by no less than Fr. Edwin Lao, OP, rector of the Dominican-run school, to spearhead the Knights’ quest for a back-to-back crown.
"He’s man enough to admit his mistakes and apologize to the whole of the Letran community so I think he deserves a second chance," Letran coach Louie Alas said.
Focus, however, will not only be on Enrile but also on the four players who keyed Letran’s dramatic win – John Paul Alcaraz, Mark Andaya, Boyet Bautista and Aldave.
Alcaraz, a rookie transferee from Las Piñas College, sizzled with 15 points while another rookie 6-foot-8 Andaya tossed in 14 points on top of five rebounds and five shot blocks. Bautista, for his part, fell an assist short of a triple-double performance with 11 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
The Dolphins, however, are raring to end a long title drought.
"Umabot na kami dito, kailangang panindigan na namin," said PCU mentor Loreto "Ato" Tolentino, who is hoping to steer the Taft Ave.-based school to its first title since it joined the league eight years ago.
Like PCU, Perpetual Help is also seeking a first-ever shot at the crown since joining the league two decades ago.