The young Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles suffered a heartbreaking setback against the Adamson University Soaring Falcons on Saturday afternoon.
The game saw the Blue Eagles go up by as much as 10 points entering the final frame, but they were then shackled by Adamson’s defense. Slowly, Ateneo’s lead vanished, as the cagers from Loyola Heights were held to just two field goals in the final frame. But still the Blue Eagles clung on to a solitary point lead with 4.1 seconds remaining.
A well-drawn play by coach Franz Pumaren, though, led to a ‘magical’ shot by Adamson skipper Dawn Ochea that handed the Blue Eagles their second loss of the season.
“Tough loss. We played three quarters of really solid basketball,” lamented Blue Eagles consultant Tab Baldwin.
“You got to give Adamson a lot of credit, that’s a good basketball team. I felt we fought them toe-to-toe today.”
AS a fan of the game, the 58-year-old mentor shared that it had been a great game from a viewer’s standpoint. “That’s great basketball and it’s fun to watch, it’s fun to be a part of with these kids working hard.”
However, Baldwin reflected that the youth and inexperience of the Blue Eagles showed in the final frame of the game.
“But during the fourth quarter, they played good defense honestly and we made a few mistakes of rushing shots on some possessions and turning over the ball a few times,” the American-Kiwi mentor admitted.
“Generally, I just have to give them credit with the defense they played in the fourth quarter. Papi [Sarr] got them some offensive rebounds and some second chance points in the fourth quarter. They just did more than we did in the fourth quarter and then [Dawn] Ochea made [that] two points and big two points.
“I don’t think our defense was bad in that last possession. We fouled when we needed to, we run down the clock. He just hit a really tough shot and we did not hit the one at the end,” he furthered.
For Baldwin, games like these can teach valuable lessons not only to the Blue Eagles but also to him.
“Painful as all pains are.
“But it’s tolerable since these guys are great to work with,” Baldwin said about the growing pains the team is experiencing. “I enjoy working with them, tremendous attitudes and they want to be really good players individually and they want to be a great team.”
“Today was a tough learning experience for us.”
Moreover, he vowed that he remains committed to the young Eagles in this up-and-down journey.
“They have my heart and soul. They have all the experiences I can give them,” he concluded.
“I enjoy working with them, tremendous attitudes and they want to be really good players individually and they want to be a great team.”
