Cardinals take Blazers out to enter NCAA Season 99 finals

MANILA, Philippines – When Clint Escamis reunited with best friend Paolo Hernandez and their high school coach Randy Alcantara at Mapua a year ago, their one mission was to replicate their championship runs with the Red Robins years back.

Now they’re two games away from accomplishing it.

Running wild just like old times, Hernandez and Escamis willed Mapua to a 78-67 victory over College of St. Benilde at the Mall of Asia Arena Tuesday and into the NCAA Season 99 finals, where they have a shot at snaring the school’s first title in more than three decades.

After an elimination round struggle, Hernandez’s guns finally went clicking and fired a game-high 22 points, half of which came in the fourth quarter. For his part, Escamis, who will win the MVP plum, scattered 21 in powering Mapua to its second finals appearance in the last three years.

“Day one pa lang palagi kami nag pupush ni Pao (Hernandez) kahit beginning of the preseason, nag uunahan kami sa ensayo, at lagi ko inaaya siya in doing extra work,” said Escamis, who had a brief and forgettable stint with the University of the East in the UAAP before rejoining his high school alma mater.

And Alcantara was just thankful the prodigal son returned.

“Nag usap kami ni Clint, kung babalik siya kailangan meron mission, goal kami,” said Alcantara. “Nakita naman natin nabago at mas lalo tumaas energy namin, game-changer siya, dumami leader like Boni (team captain Warren Bonifacio) and Paolo.”

Escamis’ return has reenergized a team lacking of that spark plug while rebuilding the same group that won Mapua two NCAA juniors’ crowns.

The Cardinals also moved on the verge of ending an excruciating 32-year wait for a championship the school last claimed in 1991.

It also gave Alcantara a chance to add another accomplishment to his already decorated resume being a four-time NCAA champion — two as a player and the other two as a high school mentor.

“With Clint and Boni, we’ll do our best makuha this season, tagal na nag-aasam Mapua lalo na si coach Randy na kulang na lang ang seniors championship,” said Hernandez, who never left Alcantara’s side when, as an unknown back then, he was recruited to play for the Red Robins.

“Madami