CSB Blazers soar past Arellano Chiefs to fortify Final Four seat.

CSB Blazers soar past Arellano Chiefs to fortify Final Four seat. 

By Jamil Buergo

September 6, 2014

College of Saint Benilde rallied from an early 17-point deficit in the first half to beat Arellano, 106-97, in the lone seniors match of NCAA Season 90 on Saturday at The Arena in San Juan.

Paolo Taha led the Blazers with 27 points, 11 boards, and six assists as the Blazers gain solo fourth spot with their ninth win against 5 defeats. Incidentally, his failure to box out Nard Pinto in the dying seconds of their first round game led to CSB’s loss. “Naging motivation ko lang yung first round. Dahil sa akin, natalo kami,” Taha admitted. “Hindi ko makakalimutan ‘yun. Ilang araw akong hindi nakatulog.” Coach Gabby Velasco was all praises for his team even though they started flat in the first quarter that gave Arellano an early 17-point lead. “We wanted to win because this vicory will give us confidence and solidify our standing.” the CSB mentor said. JR Ongteco also had a career game with his 19 points on 9 of 12 free throws, 7 rebounds and 1 block.

With Arellano’s loss, they tie idle Jose rizal University on second spot with 9-4 record. Dioncee Holts led the losing team with a career-high 31 points, hauled down 13 rebounds and dished out 3 assists. Zach Nicholls backed him up with 23 points on 7-13 3 point shooting. First round hero John Nard Pinto had an off shooting day as he could only score 9 points but he had 10 assists and 7 rebounds.

The scores:

St. Benilde  106 – Taha 27, Romero 23, Ongteco 19, Nayve 13, Grey 8, Bartolo 6, Sinco 5, Jonson 3, Pajarillaga 2, Saavedra 0

Arellano 97 – Holts 31, Nicholls 23, Agovida 14, Hernandez 10, Pinto 9, Ciriacruz 6, Gumaru 2, Enriquez 2, Salcedo 0, Caperal 0, Ortega 0, Cadavis 0

Quarterscores: 20-28, 44-49, 71-71, 106-97