The San Beda Red Lions overcame a second-half barrage from the San Sebastian Golden Stags en route to a 75-67 win on Tuesday to open their campaign at the 19th FilOil EcoOil Preseason Cup.
The reigning NCAA Season 101 champions gave the spotlight to the new leaders of the team—specifically, the duo of sophomore guard Jimuel Reyes and forward Aldous Torculas.
Reyes spearheaded the Red Lions’ charge with his deadly touch from beyond the arc, drilling three booming triples late in the second half that sucked the life out of every San Sebastian rally. Behind him was the unmistakable identity of a Yuri Escueta-coached team—tough defense, crisp ball movement, composed execution, and structure from end to end.
The Red Lions dictated the pace, controlled the moments that mattered most, and once again displayed why their culture of winning continues to thrive regardless of personnel changes or preseason circumstances.
New Guards on the Rise for San Beda
With his impressive debut, Reyes showed he is another point guard to watch in the NCAA.
Reyes, a sophomore guard, rose to the occasion and fired 11 of his 17 points in the final canto, on top of 7 assists, as the Red Lions turned a close 53-52 lead into a 63-52 advantage with 7:06 to play.
“We’re missing ‘yung mga teammates nila, yet slowly but surely, hopefully we get our chemistry together,” said coach Yuri Escueta as San Beda played its first game sans lead playmaker Nygel Gonzales.
Aldous Torculas made quite the introduction as well for San Beda, logging 17 points and 5 boards in his first foray for the red-and-white.
Ralph Gabat and Neil Castor tried to hold the fort down for San Sebastian, combining for 31 points in the narrow loss as the Golden Stags remained in search of their first FilOil win in two years.
New Beginning for the Golden Stags
Despite the loss to San Beda, there is plenty to like about this new-look San Sebastian squad under its new head coach.
The Golden Stags are beginning to show signs of direction, discipline, and belief. More importantly, the trio of Gabat, Castor, and Alforque appears fully bought into the system, giving the once-proud program a legitimate foundation to build upon moving forward.
The results may not yet fully reflect the progress, but the pieces are slowly coming together. And from the looks of it, it may only be a matter of time before the rest of the team follows suit.
