TRAILING most of the game and with their top gun Rhenz Abando taken out after tweaking an ankle, Letran was left with nothing but pray that its perfect season remain unblemished.
The heavens answered by sending in an unlikely hero in Brent Paraiso.
Filling in the void left by a grimacing Abando, Paraiso played the game of his life as he helped power the Knights to a come-from-behind 67-62 win over the upset-conscious Mapua Cardinals yesterday to move on the verge of crowning themselves NCAA Season 97 champions.
When the chips were down, it was Paraiso, a transferee from University of Santo Tomas like Abando minus the hype, who sparked their fourth quarter fight back that resulted to Letran seizing a 1-0 lead in their best-of-three title series.
Paraiso finished with 14 points, some of which came in the critical stretch in the final canto, to go with five rebounds and the same number of assists, enough to plug in the holes left by the much-hyped Abando, was sprained his left ankle after landing on a foot by teammate Louie Sangalang and was taken out late in the third period.
The MVP leader finished with just 13 points.
Good thing Paraiso played heavenly.
“I thank my coaches and teammates for trusting me, it was a team game,” said Paraiso.
Letran, which seeks its 19th crown, could complete a seasons sweep with another victory in Game Two set Sunday also in San Juan.
A decider, if necessary, is on May 29 at the MOA Arena in Pasay City.
Drawing strength from their tough defense and clutch shooting, the Cardinals, playing their first finals in 31 years, controlled the tempo for most part of the game and appeared headed to a massive upset especially after Abando went down.
Mapua though couldn’t sustain its controlled play collapsed in the end, allowing Letran to snatch the season opener.
It was a highly-physical and emotional game from the onset as it saw referees handing out a total of four technical fouls, including one on Letran coach Bonnie Tan, and two flagrant fouls from Mapua’s Jasper Selanga early in the game that led to his ejection. — Joey Villar
The scores:
Letran 68– Paraiso 14, Sangalang 14, Abando 13, Yu 6, Ambohot 6, Reyson 6, Javillonar 4, Caralipio 3, Mina 2, Olivario 0, Fajarito 0
Mapua 63– Bonifacio 10, Gamboa 10, Agustin 9, Hernandez 8, Lacap 7, Nocum 6, Mercado 5, Pido 5, Garcia 3, Salenga 0
Quarterscores: 15-24; 32-39; 49-54; 68-63
