College of St. Benilde coach Charles Tiu had one clear game plan against defending champion Mapua in the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball quarterfinals at San Juan Arena on Friday.
The plan? Stop Cardinals star Clint Escamis. The Blazers did just that to give Mapua the boot, 74-72, and advance to the semifinals.
‘We [had to] put our best defenders on him,’ Tiu said. ‘Clint was our number one priority, him and (Cyrus) Cuenco. We still have nightmares from last year on how they torched and killed us in the finals.’
Tiu made sure the Blazers clamped down on the former Finals MVP in what turned out to be his last game in the NCAA.
Escamis finished with only three points and five boards before getting ejected in the third quarter due to a disqualifying foul.
Like in their first clash in the quarterfinals, Escamis also failed to make a single field goal-going blank on 16 attempts across two games against Benilde.
That, however, doesn’t take away from his talents, according to Tiu.
‘Clint is a great player but finally, for a change, we’re the ones who defeated him,’ he said, recalling how Escamis swept the Blazers in last season’s Finals.
The Blazers will now have to map out a new defensive plan when they take on San Beda in the best-of-three semifinals.
‘They’ve beaten us twice already so I hope this time, kami naman. We have to look forward to San Beda, they’re a great team,’ the young tactician said.