La Salle-Greenhills and Mapua arranged a Finals rematch as they walloped separate opponents in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 94 juniors basketball tournament on Monday at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
The Junior Blazers were first to book a Finals ticket when they brought down the Jose Rizal University Light Bombers, 97-71, while the Red Robins responded with their own 75-67 thrashing of the San Beda Red Cubs.
It will be the second consecutive season that the two squads will meet in the Finals. The best-of-three championship starts on November 6 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Inand Fornillos scattered 22 points and hauled down 11 rebounds to lead La Salle Greenhills’ attack, while Joel Cagulangan also stepped on the pedal with his 19 points and six rebounds.
Mapua’s Paolo Hernandez scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Jonnel Policarpio was as impressive with his 25 points and 13 rebounds.
Unlike their senior counterparts who had an easy route to the Finals, the Junior Blazers and Red Robins were pushed to the limit. The Light Bombers and Red Cubs forced winner-take-all showdowns when they scored 81-78 and 84-71 victories over the top squads last Friday.
The Junior Blazers narrowly escaped with a 75-74 win over Mapua to win the title in Game Three last season.