UNIVERSITY of Perpetual Help System Dalta and Letran bested their Final Four foes to reach the NCAA juniors basketball championship at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.

Seldom-used Jan Roluna recorded a double-double to lead the top-ranked Junior Altas to their first-ever Finals appearance with a 96-91 conquest of Mapua.

Roluna tallied a career-high 22 points and 11 rebounds, that went along with three steals and two assists as Perpetual was able to avenge its lone defeat of the season.

In the other Final Four duel, Moses Manalili also produced a double-double as the No. 2 Squires advanced to the league’s biggest stage for the second straight season with a 91-77 romp of San Sebastian.

Manalili scored 19 points and dished out 10 assists, George Diamante flirted with a triple-double of 13 points, 12 boards and eight assists for Letran.

The Junior Altas and the Squires face off in the best-of-three championship starting at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday at the San Juan arena.

Roluna, a native of Nasipit, Agusan Del Norte, completed a three-point lead that gave Perpetual the needed separation at 93-85 with 1:01 remaining.

LeBron Jhames Daep was also solid for the Junior Altas with 22 points, six boards, three assists and two blocks, while MVP contender Amiel Acido contributed 20 points, six boards, five assists and a steal. High flying guard Mark Gojo Cruz chipped in 11 points, five rebounds and five assists.

A crowd of over 1,000 Perpetual fans cheered to support as they look forward in trying to end a drought in the only sports discipline the Las Piñas-based school has not won a championship.

The Junior Altas also surpassed their last Final Four feat in 2010 under coach Tonichi Pujante with players Gelo Alolino, Axel Iñigo, Mark Bitoy, Flash Sadiwa and Joel Brito.

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