Standing Strong. Letran Knights won against San Sebastian during FilOil Flying V Preseason Cup at San Juan Arena. (Photo by Ash Parr/TheLance)
Bong Quinto propelled the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights against final four tormentor San Sebastian College-Recoletos Stags, 81-73, to score their fourth win in the Filoil Flying V Preseason Cup presented by Chooks-to-Go, at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
With the Stags closing the gap in the fourth quarter, the Knights turned to veterans Jerrick Balanza and Quinto to close out the game. The duo poured in 13 points in Letran’s 20-point fourth quarter.
Quinto led all scorers with 23 points and six rebounds while Jerrick Balanza notched 15 points, four rebounds, and four assists. JP Calvo added 13 points and four assists for the Knights, which is now 4-2 at the group B standings.
Despite his skipper’s fine performance, Letran head coach Jeff Napa bared that Quinto still has a lot to improve on.
“Hindi pa nga ganoon kaganda eh, ang sama pa ‘rin eh. Still, consistent pero ‘yung mga gusto ko sa kanya na hinahanap pa to be a leader, kulang pa,” he explained.
RK Ilagan fired 19 points for the Stags while Allyn Bulanadi scored 13 markers in a losing effort.
Letran will battle the College of St. Benilde Blazers on May 4, Monday, at 12:30 p.m., in hopes of solidifying their playoff bid.
Earlier in the evening, Letran’s Bonbon Batiller defeated La Salle’s Miguel Corteza, 9-5, in the Hanes 1 on 1 King of the Hardcourt.
The scores:
CSJL (81) – Quinto 23, Balanza 15, Calvo 13, Ambohot 9, Fajarito 7, Batiller 5, Mandreza 3, Agbong 3, Galvelo 3, Celis 0, Balagasay 0, Yu 0
SSCR (73) – Ilagan 19, Bulanadi 13, Calisaan 10, Capobres 10, Dela Cruz 8, Calma 6, Valdez 4, Desoyo 2, Costelo 1, Sumoda 0, Vinte 0, Isidro 0
Quarterscores: 25-12, 42-29, 61-56, 81-73