MANILA -- Buoyed by their emphatic victory over the weekend, the Letran Squires finally barged into the Final Four of the 86th National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) juniors basketball tournament.

This after the Squires nipped La Salle-Greenhills, 91-86, at The Arena in San Juan City Monday.

The thrilling contest saw Mark Cruz lifting the Intramuros-based squad from the brink of elimination after posting a game-high 25 points, eight assists, four rebounds and three steals to seal the school’s second straight playoff victory.

Letran downed Jose Rizal University, 87-73, at the San Juan Gym last Saturday.

After this, Letran will take on top seed San Beda on Wednesday at the start of the Final Four hostilities.

The Red Cubs, who topped everyone after the double-round elimination with a 14-2 (win-loss) slate, would need just one win from barging into the best-of-three championship. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)