By: Leiniel Santos
Despite enduring two painful setbacks—falling short of the MVP title and FEU-Diliman’s semifinal exit—Cabs Cabonilas refuses to dwell on disappointment.
Instead, he’s embracing the heartbreaks as stepping stones for growth, vowing to carry the lessons forward as he continues his journey on the court.
Cabonilas finished just behind De La Salle Zobel’s Kieffer Alas in the MVP race, which was tightly contested heading into the final day of the elimination round.
With the statistical points lead on the line, Alas stepped up with a dominant performance, tallying 16 points, 14 rebounds, and five steals, while Cabonilas recorded nine points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal. DLSZ also secured a 71-61 victory over FEU-D, cementing Alas’ place at the top of the rankings.
At the end of the season, Alas finished with 91.429 SP, edging out Cabonilas, who posted 90.071 SP.
While he acknowledged Alas’ efforts, he emphasized that winning the MVP award was never his main goal.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“‘Yung MVP ko wala na rin eh, trinabaho rin nung kasunod ko. Tsaka di ko rin naman iniisip yun, ang iniisip ko lang laro lang ng laro para makatulong sa teammates tsaka sa coaches ko,” said the 18-year-old forward from Digos City, Davao del Sur.
FEU’s campaign ended in the semifinals with a tough loss to UST, settling for a bronze-medal finish.
Despite missing out on the finals, Cabonilas cherished the experience and vowed to carry the lessons into his Grade 12 season.
“Good experience pero ganon talaga, ginawa namin lahat, and nag-effort din kami pero pagdating sa dulo wala talaga,” he said after posting 15 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists in their last game.
“Sa totoo lang, di namin ine-expect na makakaabot kami ng Final Four kasi sabi nga nila pang-sixth nalang kami,” he continued.
“Trinabaho lang talaga namin, tsaka sa training… kaya pagdating sa laro, magagawa ng tama.”
