National University Nazareth School’s perfect start to the UAAP Season 87 High School Boys Basketball Tournament still leaves much to be desired.
That was the key takeaway from head coach Kevin de Castro after the Bullpups narrowly escaped an upset against the UE Junior Warriors, 78-77, on Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
The victory kept NU’s record spotless at 6-0 and placed them on the verge of sweeping the first round.
Despite entering the game with a dominant five-game winning streak and an average margin of 24.5 points per contest, NU struggled to put away UE, ultimately securing their smallest victory margin of the season.
The Bullpups seemed to have the game under control, leading 78-70 with 1:34 left. However, the Junior Warriors mounted a furious seven-point rally, fueled by a three-pointer from Xedric Diaz, a free throw from Edry Alejandro, and a step-back triple by Kristoper Lagat.
UE had two chances to complete the upset, but both Diaz and Alejandro missed potential game-winning three-pointers, allowing NU to escape with the win.
“Ito ‘yung sinasabi ko from the start na we don’t have to relax kasi wala pa naman tayong napapatunayan. At least ngayon, na-test namin na hindi pa talaga kami ‘yung dominating team na sinasabi ng mga tao,” De Castro told Tiebreaker Times.
“At least nabigyan kami ng opportunity magkaroon ng close fight kasi kailangan din namin ito in the long run. Happy naman ako kasi nanalo kami, pero nag-relax sila nung third at fourth quarters. Kailangan naming i-address ito sa kanila — hindi pa kami ganon kalakas.”
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
After falling short in a grueling three-game finals series against defending champion Adamson University last season, NU has been on a mission for redemption.
Their six-game streak is a strong statement, but their championship mettle will face its toughest test yet as they close out the first round against the Baby Falcons on Sunday at the same venue.
For De Castro, this hard-fought win was a much-needed wake-up call at the perfect time, especially with an unpredictable Adamson squad (3-3) up next.
“Malaking tulong sa amin ito kasi pagdating nung last stretch ng second round, ng Final Four, ng championship, dito mate-test yung maturity ng mga bata sa close games,” De Castro explained.
“At least ngayon pa lang, first round pa lang, na-experience na namin ito. Wake-up call ito para sa amin. Kailangan pa namin magtrabaho talaga — hindi ibibigay sa amin ng madali ng lahat ng makakalaban namin,” he admitted.
“Six-zero nga, pero para sa akin, hindi ko tinitingnan ‘yon — every game counts talaga. Ngayon, kailangan pa namin i-improve yung depensa namin kasi na-expose today. Kailangan namin trabahuin pa ito lalo na sa next game namin against the defending champions.”
