Game respects game
It took 969 days, but a team finally broke the fabled 73-game winning streak of the Adamson Softball Team.
Saturday afternoon, the National University Women’s Basketball Team rewrote the history books after romping the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigresses, 96-57, for their 74th straight win.
Lady Falcons head coach Ana Santiago would be the first to admit that their record would some day be eclipsed – that there will come a day that history will be rewritten.
“Magagaling ang mga atletang Pilipino and ang mga coaches,” shared Santiago, who is currently in Barcelona, Spain, moments after NU picked up their record-breaking win. “Atsaka remember walang permanente sa mundo.
“May old and new history. Kami na ang old at sila na ang new.”
Santiago herself knows how hard it is to build a streak. The Lady Falcons’s 73-game run took longer to build than the Lady Bulldogs’.
In Adamson’s first sweep back in Season 73, the league only featured six squads. A two-round sweep garnered an automatic championship. It was only in Season 75 that Adamson experienced a Final Four-format, as the Lady Bulldogs joined the fray.
From January 9, 2010 to March 2, 2016, the pressure mounted on the Lady Falcons as the win count continued to rise.
“Yung pressure hindi maiiwasan,” reflected Santiago, who has won 12 championship as Adamson’s head coach – seven of which came during their glorious streak. “Iisipin mo hindi ka puwede matalo.
“Pero at the end of the day, maiisip mo rin na hindi na mahalaga yung winning streak. Ang mas importante ay yung championship trophy.”
Though she saw her streak end, Santiago – who is an assistant coach for the Blu Girls – is immensely proud of fellow Team Pilipinas head coach Aquino, who is the head coach of Perlas. She knows that just like her, Aquino started with a dream before creating their own moment.
“I’m happy for the NU team, the players, kay coach Pat, and the rest of the coaching staff,” expressed Santiago, on behalf of every Adamson Lady Falcon squad.
“Alam ko na it started off as a dream, but now they write their own story in sports.”
