Game Three. Do or die. University of the Philippines versus Ateneo de Manila University.
Felt like it happened before, right? Yes, because it really happened before. Just last May 13.
The Fighting Maroons are no strangers to a winner-take-all battle in the brightest of lights. They won the championship for the first time in 36 years after downing the Blue Eagles in Game Three of Season 84 Finals in overtime, 72-69 – seven months ago at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Back to the present. UP and Ateneo will duke it out once again in Game Three after the Blue Eagles took Game Two, 65-55, on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Having played in a rubber match for the crown in his rookie year, Carl Tamayo knows that his Fighting Maroons will be ready come Game Three on Monday.
“Confident naman ako sa teammates ko. We just have to prepare well lang and play the right way, and I think we have a big chance to win the championship,” said Tamayo.
In their 72-66 Game One victory, Tamayo gladly let his teammates take the spotlight. He finished with seven points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field, alongside four rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block.
But in Game Two, the 6-foot-7 forward tried to do more, especially when Zavier Lucero went out at the 8:31 mark of the fourth quarter after hurting his left knee.
Tamayo top-scored for UP with 15 points, but Ange Kouame and Kai Ballungay willed Ateneo to the win to stretch the series to next week.
“Sinusubukan lang namin humabol sa laro, but we fell short,” said the 21-year-old Cebuano on taking charge in the payoff period, producing seven straight points there.
Despite the result, though, all is not lost. Tamayo and the rest of the Fighting Maroons have one more chance at history – trying to become the first team to win two UAAP titles in a year.
And more important than history, it is keeping the crown in UP – hardware they hadn’t held for 36 long years prior to their Cinderella run to the top last season.
“We still have a chance to win in Game 3 hopefully we play the right way,” said Tamayo.
“Laban lang hanggang dulo.”
