It’s widely known in the UAAP Season 87 Junior High School Basketball Tournament that Anton Lopez and Prince Cariño have been instrumental in Far Eastern University-Diliman’s pursuit of a title redemption.
The Baby Tamaraws’ star duo has led their squad to a strong 6-1 record, putting them in second place in the eight-team league.
Then they suffered a setback with a close 75-76 loss to the UST Tiger Cubs on October 16 – their second defeat of the season.
Despite a 21-day break, Lopez and Cariño made key contributions in FEU-D’s bounce-back win over a determined De La Salle-Zobel squad, edging them out 83-79 on Wednesday.
However, it was the breakout performance of 15-year-old guard Kierdy Victoria that ultimately made the difference for the Baby Tamaraws. The team relied on his standout play to solidify their bid for a twice-to-beat advantage, improving to a 7-2 record.
Victoria attributed his career-best performance in the UAAP to extra early morning training sessions during the three-week break.
His hard work paid off as he stepped up when Lopez got into foul trouble, scoring 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, along with four rebounds and two steals.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“Nagsimula ito sa dalawa kong masama na ensayo. Sabi ko sa sarili ko noon, ngayon yung pagkakataon ko para bumawi sa coaches dahil doon sa panget na ensayo,” shared Victoria, a product of College of San Benildo – Rizal.
He went on, “Grinab ko na lang din yung opportunity. Ang una kong inisip is dumepensa ako, maging aggressive, and then dumating na lang din yung scoring sa akin hanggang sa nagtuloy-tuloy na maganda yung laro ko, nashu-shoot na yung mga tira ko.
“Hindi ko nakakalimutan mag-extra work. Gigising ako ng umaga then magshu-shooting ako. Hindi niyo dapat makalimutan yung magpahinga para ma-miss yung basketball kasi pag nagpahinga kayo, mami-miss niyo yung basketball then magiging aggressive kayo na maglaro ng basketball.”
For head coach Muriel Garcia, Victoria’s emergence is a promising development for an FEU-D team not only aiming to secure a Final Four spot, but also seeking to avenge last season’s heartbreaking loss in the winner-take-all finale of Season 86.
The Baby Tamaraws narrowly missed the title last season, falling 67-68 in the finals to the NUNS Bullpups on a buzzer-beating corner triple from Rob Celiz.
“Napakaganda kasi papasok kami ng Final Four, nagsstep up sila isa-isa, especially itong si Kierdy Victoria,” Garcia remarked. “Kung gusto namin bawiin yung pagkatalo namin last season, hindi lang dapat isa o dalawang player ang magse-step up sa’min, lahat dapat mag-contribute sa role nila.
“Yung mga ganitong dikit na laro rin, preparation yan papunta ng Final Four, and still, wala pa kami hawak na ticket sa Final Four, kailangan pa namin manalo. UE pa lang ang may ticket sa Final Four. We’ll keep on playing kahit na linalamang tayo.”
