Lions, amazing Chiefs try to remain at helm

MANILA, Philippines - San Beda seeks to rebound from its shock loss to a resurgent St. Benilde side as it tangles with long-time rival San Sebastian today even as Arellano U tries to sustain its impressive start as it battles Jose Rizal U in the 90th NCAA men’s basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.

Although the Red Lions are reeling from their first setback after a sweep of their first five games, the reigning four-peat champions remain the favorite in the 2 p.m. contest as they take on the Stags, who absorbed a stinging 81-89 setback to the erstwhile winless Mapua Cardinals.

“The key is learning from our mistakes and staying aggressive especially after coming off a loss,” said San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez, whose wards were stunned by the Blazers’ superb all-around game the last time out, 76-83.

Focus will also be on the Arellano-JRU face-off at 4 p.m. with the Chiefs hoping to keep in step with the Lions, if they get past the Stags, or even wrest the solo lead, if San Sebastian pulls off a shocker.

“We know Jose Rizal is one of the toughest defensive teams in the league so have to be ready to adopt to whatever defense they’ll be throwing at us,” said Arellano U coach Jerry Codiñera.

Arellano banked on its firepower to beat Perpetual Help, 97-85, last week but the Chiefs will be facing a JRU squad raring to come up with a follow-up to its come-from-behind 62-61 win over the Las Piñas-based squad.

The Chiefs have routed opposition with their high-octane offense, averaging a league-high 85.8 points behind Levi Hernandez (15 points), Jiovani Jalalon (12.67), Keith Agovida (12.33), John Pinto (12.17) and American Dioncee Holts (10.33).

The Bombers, with a 3-3 card, have limited their rivals to just 68.5 points, second only to the Lions’ league-best 65.2 points.

“Arellano likes to run a lot and we have to be up to the task in defending in transition,” said JRU coach Vergel Meneses.