The Perpetual Help Altas are firm believers of the belief that practice makes perfect.
‘We’re thankful that the things we worked really hard to do in practice, we have done in crunch time,’ said Perpetual’s sweet-shooting guard Mark Gojo Cruz, whose squad downed Emilio Aguinaldo College, 83-72, Thursday for their first win in NCAA Season 102 at the Filoil Center.
Gojo Cruz lived up to what they preached in training and came through big when it was needed most and fired 11 of his 15 points in the fourth and final quarter that sealed the Altas their first win after a stinging opening day defeat to the Letran Knights.
‘We prepared for moments like this, fighting in close games,’ he added.
Angelo Gelsano kept UPHSD’s head above water most of the game and had a team-best 17 points, 11 of which he sprinkled in the second period when they turned a two-point first quarter edge to 42-36 at the break.
The Generals, led by EJ Castillo’s seven-point barrage, kept it closer, 58-54, entering the final canto.
EAC persistently kept pecking at UPHSD’s lead and even cut it to as close as by a hairline, 62-61, on a Jude Bagay bucket with 7.27 minutes ticking in the clock.
It was the closest the Generals could get as Gojo Cruz went on a scoring binge to preserve the win for the Las Piñas-based dribblers.
The scores:
UPHSD 83 – Gelsano 17, Casinillo 16, Gojo Cruz 15, Tulabut 15, Maglupay 11, Cristino 4, Pagulayan 3, Duremdes 2, Borja 0, Corpuz 0, Velasquez 0, Cauguiran 0, Orgo 0, Montemayor 0.
EAC 72 – Castillo 19, H. Raymundo 17, Bagay 11, Oftana 9, Nunag 6, Ochavo 5, M. Raymundo 3, Bonus 2, Shanoda 0, Sealey 0, Coronel 0, Mundas 0, Luna 0.
Quarterscores: 19-17; 42-36; 58-54; 83-72