With Game One of the UAAP Season 88 High School Boys’ Basketball Tournament Finals — and perhaps a key chapter in his growing legacy at Far Eastern University-Diliman — hanging in the balance, Cabs Cabonilas refused to let the moment slip away.
Fresh off claiming the Most Valuable Player award earlier in the day, Cabonilas demonstrated that individual accolades mean little without the ultimate prize.
He willed the Baby Tamaraws to a crucial Game One victory over the National University Nazareth School Bullpups. Now, he stands just one win away from the farewell he has long envisioned.
For the 19-year-old do-it-all forward, this is not just about bringing home FEU-D’s first UAAP boys’ basketball crown since Season 85 (2023). It’s also about closure.
After back-to-back third-place finishes in Seasons 86 and 87, the Digos City, Davao Del Sur native carried the sting of unfinished business into his fourth and final year with the Baby Tamaraws.
And with a second UAAP boys’ basketball title now within reach, Cabonilas has no plans of slowing down.
“Sa akin lang, noong kanina nung laman yung NU, inisip ko — sabi ko sa sarili ko na ilalaban ko yung team ko kahit ano mangyari sa akin. Hindi ako susuko para makuha namin yung panalo. Parati lang naman ako nakikinig kay Coach Mike,” Cabonilas said, finishing the contest with 19 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and one steal.
FEU-D looked on track for a comfortable Game One win after building a 70-65 lead with over four minutes left in the fourth quarter. But NUNS methodically crawled back, launching an 8-3 run — capped by a Mot Matias triple and Chad Cartel’s go-ahead midrange jumper — to seize a 73-72 lead with 78 seconds remaining.
Superstars, however, are defined in pressure-packed moments — and Cabonilas rose to the occasion.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Despite battling cramps midway through the final period, the No. 1-ranked player in the 2026 SMART-NBTC annual rankings delivered in the clutch. He nailed a go-ahead fadeaway jumper with 1:04 left, then buried a cold-blooded three-pointer over Kurl Figueroa to extend the lead to 77-73 with 13.5 seconds remaining — a shot that cemented his refusal to leave the Blue Eagle Gym without a Game One triumph.
He was not done, though. Cabonilas turned to his defensive prowess, swatting away Shaun Lucido’s attempted triple with 8.8 seconds left to seal the win.
From offensive brilliance to defensive tenacity, from poise to leadership, Cabonilas embodied everything the Baby Tamaraws needed when it mattered most.
“Para sa akin, parang stretch ko na lang siya nang maayos para makabalik. Gusto ko talagang bumalik sa laro kasi gustong-gusto naming makuha yung panalo. At tsaka, sa lahat ng ginagawa ko, gagawin ko lahat para kay coach,” Cabonilas shared.
“Actually, kanina, maganda yung laban kanina kasi maganda rin yung ibinigay ng NUNS sa depensa. Medyo kampante kami kanina at nawawala kami sa focus kanina sa first at second quarter, pero sa third at fourth quarter, bumawi kami lahat.”
First-year head coach Mike Reyes hardly felt surprised by his star forward’s heroics, noting that what sets Cabonilas apart from the heavy crop of UAAP boys’ basketball talent is his poise and decision-making under pressure.
“Because he’s Cabs. Because he’s the MVP. We give the ball to Cabs because he will not force shots. Cabs will make the right decisions. ‘Yon ang kailangan na, when you have a main man, you have a main player, he can score, and he can make the right decision. Kasi kung mali-mali ang desisyon niya, mahirap puntahan ‘eh. So, he just made the right decision,” Reyes said.
“Alam ko na darating, pero nagugulat pa rin ako dahil he takes the shot, biglang siya pa kukuha ng offensive rebound ‘eh. Ang layo na niya, maaabutan pa niya when he challenges a shot. I know he can do it pero nagugulat pa rin ako.”
Now just one win away from leaving the Baby Tamaraws the same way he entered it, Cabonilas assured FEU-D fans that he has no plans of slowing down, eager to close out the championship when Game Two tips off Thursday, March 26, at 3:00 PM, still at the historic Blue Eagle Gym.
“Pagdating bukas, hindi na namin iisipin yung laro namin today. Magpe-prepare na lang kami para sa Thursday sa Game 2 namin para matapos na namin ito.”
