With just 49 seconds left in the overtime and the scores tied at 81-81, National University’s sophomore star Dave Ildefonso received the ball from his teammate, Enzo Joson, and studied what the Adamson University defense gave him.
The former Ateneo Blue Eaglet drove to the rim, then beat the likes of Simon Camacho, Lenda Douanga, and Aaron Flowers to sink the basket. He looked set to propel the Jamike Jarin-coached squad to a dream start in the UAAP Season 82 Men’s Basketball Tournament.
However, the basketball gods weren’t on NU’s side. Douanga’s Hail Mary shot with 1.4 seconds left in the contest took the victory away from Ildefonso and the rest of the Bulldogs.
“Pagpasok ko ng dugout, natatawa na lang ako kasi binigay naman namin yung best eh.
“Even though yung breaks ng game napunta sa kanila, pero binigay namin yung best naman. Atsaka hindi talaga para sa amin yung laro eh, kaya na-shoot ni Douanga yung shot,” said the 6-foot-3 forward.
Even Jarin and his father, the legendary Danny Ildefonso, were full of praise when they returned to the locker room after the game.
He narrated, “Wala na siyang (si coach Jamike) mahihingi sa amin kasi yun nga, naibigay namin lahat. Pinakita namin (yung lahat), yung game plan nag-stick kami dun. Yun lang, breaks of the game.
“Sabi nga ni erpat na, sa dugout na kami, mas maganda lang tinambakan kami kaysa matalo kami ng ganito. Pero at least alam na namin yung gauge namin, alam namin yung kaya naming gawin. Adamson is one of the sure contenders for Final Four and even finals or the championship. Nakalamang pa kami ng ten points tapos nung humahabol sila, naka-stick kami sa kanila. Yun nga, it’s a good gauge for us.”
Ildefonso then opined that not even an alleged violation by the Soaring Falcons in the endgame could take away this result from them.
“Nalaman ko lang na five seconds (inbound violation) after sa dugout na kasi may video kami. Nakita nga five seconds. Parang feeling ko rin habang nung naglalaro, yun nga, ang tagal masyado ng inbound pero no excuses naman. It was a great game for Adamson and us, so props to them.”
Still, the outcome was a bitter pill to swallow for Ildefonso. In 35 minutes of action, the Gilas Youth standout chipped in 29 points alongside nine rebounds, three assists, and four steals. But all those were for naught at the final buzzer.
“I shot bad sa three points, so I need to improve on that. Well, talo pa rin eh. Twenty-nine points, fifty points, eighty points — a loss is a loss,” lamented the forward.
All that Ildefonso can do now is take the loss and move forward to the next game. If the Bulldogs faced a difficult pressing team in the shape of the Soaring Falcons, another tough test awaits at the hands of the DLSU Green Archers.
“Each and every possession is important and yung breaks of the game, dapat pumunta sa amin.”
At the end of the day, it is not how you start but how you finish. Ildefonso will be hungrier to make sure that his team ends up as the victors the next time around.
