Last season, Ethan Aguas was the hero of University of the East’s 16-and-under team, carrying the Junior Warriors to a third-place finish.
Now, in the UAAP Season 87 boys’ division, he is once again stepping up when it matters most, determined to lead UE’s high school squad to the Final Four despite a turbulent campaign.
After finishing fifth last season, the Junior Warriors were poised to be a dark horse in the UAAP Season 87 Boys’ Basketball Tournament, competing against usual contenders like Adamson University, National University-Nazareth School, University of Santo Tomas, and Far Eastern University-Diliman.
However, UE’s journey in Season 87 has been anything but smooth.
The Junior Warriors have struggled in the second round, falling victim to a three-game skid that left them tied for sixth place with De La Salle Zobel, both holding 4-7 records.
Despite putting up tough fights, UE often fell short against the top contenders. They secured three of their wins against cellar-dwellers like the University of the Philippines Integrated School and Ateneo de Manila University.
Adding to their precarious situation, Adamson’s earlier win over FEU forced a do-or-die match-up between UE and DLSZ for the last Final Four spot on Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Meanwhile, NUNS, UST, and FEU-D had already secured their semifinal berths earlier in the week.
Desperate for a spark, Aguas rose to the occasion, leading UE to a clutch 71-65 victory and keeping their Final Four hopes alive.
UE held a slim 61-55 advantage after an Aguas three-pointer in the fourth quarter, but a five-point surge from Bonn Daja and Maco Dabao trimmed the lead to 61-60 with 2:03 left.
Drawing motivation from past heartbreaks — including two buzzer-beating losses to FEU and a stunning defeat to Ateneo — Aguas remained composed in the clutch.
The 6-foot-4 forward sank a long two-pointer, then received crucial support from Lance Sabroso’s three-pointer and free throw, extending UE’s lead to 67-60 with just 28 seconds remaining to seal the win.
Aguas finished with 23 points on an efficient 10-of-16 shooting, along with eight rebounds.
“Isa lang nag-motivate sa akin: puso. Sama-sama kami, lalo na sa isa’t isa sa teammates ko at sa coaching staff. Yung talo kasi namin noon sa Ateneo sobrang sakit para sa amin ‘non, lalo na sa step namin para sa pangarap namin na makasiksik sa Final Four,” Aguas told Tiebreaker Times.
“Pero kahit natatalo kami, ginawa pa rin namin yung best sa ensayo namin, wala munang kaibigan sa ensayo, talagang trabaho muna kami, at buti talaga nagbunga na siya ngayon.”
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Despite the victory, Aguas acknowledged that the job is far from done. UE now faces two tough challenges against the Baby Tamaraws and the Baby Falcons as they continue their pursuit of a Final Four berth.
UE also needs Adamson to lose at least one of its final two games to keep their postseason hopes alive. Fully aware of what’s at stake, Aguas remains committed to the values instilled by head coach Karl Santos: puso, effort, composure, and consistency.
“Sa akin, yung dalawa, alam namin na malakas, lalo’t na natalo kami sa kanila noong first round,” the 6-foot-4 forward from Tarlac shared.
“Pero kahit ganoon, lalaro lang kami kasi may tiwala pa rin kami sa isa’t isa. Sinasabi nga ni coach lagi na maglaro na may puso, maglaro sa puso, mag-effort, magpakita ng composure at consistency, at susunod daw palagi yung biyaya at resulta.”
Aguas and the Junior Warriors will take on the Baby Tamaraws on Sunday, March 2, before wrapping up the eliminations with a crucial showdown against the Baby Falcons on Thursday, March 6.
Both games will take place at the same San Juan venue.
