STI College Santa Rosa wins 4th straight

Four straight for STI College Santa Rosa

Champions are not born overnight, they are usually a product of a lot of hardwork. That was what STI College Santa Rosa showed yesterday as they beat the upset conscious STI College Malolos team 69 -47 to win their fourth straight STI basketball Showdown title.  STI College Santa Rosa has lost three MVPs to graduation but this year a new MVP rose to the occassion as Mark Arzola showed the way for the Laguna based Santa Rosa cagers.  Arzola finished the game with 13 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals which was enough to give him the MVP which was based on the tournament statistics.

Detubio scores

The Laguna based Santa Rosa cagers started out like a house on fire as they pressured the Bulacan based STI College Malolos team from the opening tip. The result was an 8 – 0 start for the three time defending champions.  The Santa Rosa team came prepared, pumped up and was more energetic than their counterparts.  The result was a 27 – 9 first quarter lead that eventually ended at 38 – 19 at the end of the first half as the Malolos squad came back with better defense and better ball handling in the second quarter.

MVP Mark Arzola sizzles for two

The Santa Rosa cagers also limited the high scoring mythical five selectee Alvin Detubio who averaged 26 points in his last three games with two of those against last year’s runner – up and their sister team, STI College Balagtas. Detubio always had a two Santa Rosa guards guarding him and had to bleed for the 18 points he produced.  Also contained was another Mythical 5 selectee, Guard Carlo Jimenez who was also instrumental in their final four run, Jimenez lead all players in assists this year.  The Santa Rosa guard rotation of Reb Maunahan, Ken Batiquin, Robert Salazar and Raul Guerrero took turns in pressuring the Malolos guards.

Carlo Jimenez of STI College Malolos

drives to the hoop

The game was never close as team Santa Rosa quelled every rally made by their malolos counterparts. This is the first time that the Santa Rosa team has won the title via a rout. Going back in their three clinching victories, Team Santa Rosa won by four, one and two points in the three years they reigned and now a possiblity of tying De Los Santos STI which won 5 straight is the next target of the hard fighting Laguna based STI College Santa Rosa team.

undergoal action

Voted to the Mythical 5 are Detubio and Jimenez of STI College Malolos, Paolo Andres of STI College Balagtas, Guerrero and Arzola of STI College Santa Rosa with Arzola getting the MVP plum. With the balanced scoring of team Santa Rosa, the organizers had a hard time selecting the MVP since there wasn’t a single cager who was head over heels over the others, everyong contributed their share with Arzola coming out as the most consistent in the whole tournament. Congratulations to STI College Santa Rosa.

STI COLLEGE SANTA ROSA (69)

Guerero 14, Salazar 14, Arzola 13, Ferrer 6, Maunahan 5, Caraan 5, Batiquin 4, Mamaed 4, del Rosario 2, Capacete 2, Sayao 0, Lizen 0, Fudotan 0, Almoro 0, Romero 0,

STI COLLEGE MALOLOS (47)

Detubio 18,  Jimenez 9, Sumeracruz 8, Cruz 4, Pineda 4, Marcelo 3, Victoria 1, Ecleo 0, Hernandez 0,

Quarter scores: 27 – 9, 38 – 19, 57 – 39, 69 - 47