Far Eastern University-Diliman rose to the occasion, rallying from a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit and eventually taking control in overtime to claim a 106-102 Game 3 victory over National University Nazareth School, capturing the UAAP Season 88 High School Boys’ Basketball title on Monday at the Blue Eagle Gym.
In a grueling contest, it was the Baby Tamaraws who found another gear when it mattered most.
Khean Esperanza got to the foul line early in extra time, giving FEU-D a 99-96 lead with 1:59 remaining. It wasn’t until the one-minute mark—when Moussa Diakite found Corian Cabantog for a basket—that the Bullpups scored in overtime, but Cabs Cabonilas responded immediately with a three-point play.
A split at the line by Esperanza, followed by Shaun Lucido hitting two of three free throws with 11.6 seconds left, set the stage for a heart-stopping finish with FEU-D ahead, 103-100. An inbound by Cabonilas off the backboard gave Ronnie Matias two free throws, cutting the lead to a single point with 7.7 seconds remaining.
On the next possession, Esperanza split his freebies, giving NUNS another chance with 6.2 seconds on the clock. However, Cabonilas intercepted Matias’ inbound and sank two clutch free throws to seal the championship.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
“Siyempre, it’s a very, very different feeling because 28 years back, medyo iba ang basketball eh,” said first-year Baby Tamaraws head coach Mike Reyes, who also won the UAAP boys’ title with Ateneo in Seasons 62 (1999) and 63 (2000).
“Ang talagang pinakamasayang nangyari with this championship is we all know Cabs and (Marc) Burgos, may kukuha sa kanila sa college, but sila Sam (Hall), (Yosef) Rañeses, and John Santos, nakita ni Coach Sean (Chambers) kung anong magagawa nila. So, maybe, they will be given a shot in our college team,” he added.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Cabonilas made history as the first UAAP high school player to win both the regular-season and Finals MVP awards since stats were officially recorded in 2002. He averaged 24.0 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.3 blocks, and 2.0 steals across the three-game series, which saw FEU-D open with a 77-73 victory last March 22, before NUNS forced a decider with an 80-59 win last Thursday.
The 6-foot-4 Digos City native poured in 35 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals, and three blocks in the winner-take-all game, with his scoring matched by NUNS Grade 11 guard Shaun Lucido.
“Yung pagkuha ko sa dalawang MVP, hindi para sa akin, para sa coaches, pamilya, at teammates ko ito. Pinagsipagan ko lang ito at saka palagi akong nakikinig sa buong coaching staff. Sinasabihan lang nila ako at yung mga teammates ko na no pressure at kunin namin to,” said the 19-year-old forward, now a three-time champion, having also won the 5-on-5 title in UAAP Season 85 (2023) and the 3×3 crown last season.
The triumph marked FEU-D’s 10th championship in the division and its first since Season 85, when the Baby Tamaraws were led by Janrey Pasaol, Veejay Pre, and Kirby Mongcopa under coach Allan Albano, who had returned mid-season after stints at Adamson and Perpetual Help.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
NUNS, seeking redemption in its third straight winner-take-all appearance under coach Kevin De Castro, started strong but faltered down the stretch as FEU-D engineered a massive comeback.
The Baby Tamaraws trailed by as many as 13 points, 81-68, early in the fourth quarter, but fought back just as they had all season.
With two minutes remaining, Hall hit a big three-pointer to cut NUNS’ lead to 92-90, followed by another triple from Esperanza that put FEU-D ahead. A split by Rañeses extended the lead to two points, but Lucido’s drive tied the contest.
Esperanza converted two free throws with 6.7 seconds left, but a foul by Rañeses sent the game to overtime after Lucido hit crucial free throws with 3.7 seconds remaining.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
“Resiliency, yes. That’s who we were the whole season. All year round, when we lost to Ateneo, we came back and played well. When we lost to NU, our game was strong again. So I was expecting us to play really well today. But at halftime, our ball screen defense wasn’t there. We were really passive. When we came out for the third quarter, we were a bit more aggressive, but NU really played well,” said Esperanza.
“I really give credit to the whole coaching staff, our conditioning—everything. From day one, when I first met all the coaches, I told them that the success of this year would be because of all of them. I will lead this, but you all are the ones we can rely on to achieve a championship. True enough, it happened today. Of course, the resiliency of the players—even when down, we were there. We did not give up.”
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Esperanza finished with 23 points, while Dwyne Enriquez and Marc Burgos added 13 and 10 points, respectively, with both also hauling in five rebounds each.
Cabantog recorded 18 points and 16 rebounds for NUNS, while Ronnie Matias tallied 17 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. Moussa Diakite, who was aiming for a second championship this season after leading NUNS to the junior high school title, added 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Graduating for NUNS, who entered the post-season as the top seed, are Sofiane Bouzina, Chad Cartel, Kurl Figueroa, Lebron Manding, Sal Mann, Ronnie Matias, and Meikho Natinga.
The Scores
FEU-D 106 – Cabonilas 35, Esperanza 23, Enriquez 13, Burgos 10, Gaye 8, Rañeses 5, Alagaban 5, Hall 4, Cagurungan 3, Sohm 0, Santos 0, Dagcutan 0.
NUNS 102 – Lucido 35, Cabantog 18, M. Matias 17, Diakite 13, Cartel 6, Figueroa 5, R. Matias 4, Juan 4, Bouzina 0, Natinga 0.
Quarterscores: 24-24, 41-47, 64-76, 96-96
