National University Nazareth School avenged its first-round loss to Far Eastern University-Diliman with an 80-72 victory, while De La Salle-Zobel stunned Ateneo de Manila University with the same scoreline but in a wire-to-wire fashion, shaking up the standings in the UAAP Season 88 High School Boys Basketball Tournament on Wednesday at the Filoil Centre in San Juan.
With the Bullpups’ win, they now share the top spot with the Baby Tamaraws, both holding 8-2 records with just four games remaining.
“Masaya ako dahil nakuha nila yung challenge na binigay ko sa kanila. Sabi ko nga, yung ‘Dangerous Three’ nakuha namin kaya kahit papaano makakahinga kami nang maluwag, pero hindi pa tapos. May mga remaining games pa kami,” said fourth-year Bullpups head coach Kevin De Castro. His team is riding a six-game winning streak, including key victories over University of Santo Tomas twice and Ateneo.
Meanwhile, the Blue Eagles dropped to third with a 7-3 record, while the Junior Archers climbed to solo fourth with a 5-5 slate.
UST, the UE Junior Warriors—who earlier defeated the UPIS Fighting Maroons, 94-61 —and the Adamson Baby Falcons, who lost to the Tiger Cubs, 75-73, are a full game behind DLSZ at 4-6.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
“Just be 1% better—that’s all I’m asking from them. I can’t worry about the other teams right now; I have to focus on my own team first, and hopefully, the results will follow,” said first-year Junior Archers head coach Gian Nazario, also the lead deputy of Topex Robinson in the men’s team.
The Bullpups dominated early against the Baby Tamaraws, taking a 42-23 lead at halftime and extending it to 76-56 midway through the final frame.
However, FEU-Diliman, true to their season-long form, mounted a furious comeback.
Leading MVP candidate Cabs Cabonilas, along with long-time teammates Marc Burgos and Yosef Rañeses, sparked a 15-0 run capped by a Rañeses three-pointer with 22 seconds remaining, cutting the deficit to five points.
Clutch free throws from Mot Matias and Miekho Natinga, combined with a miss by Cabonilas, sealed the win for NUNS.
“Na-define namin yung mga roles nila at na-maximize na namin yung bawat isa. Mas naging family din kami. Sana magtuloy-tuloy pa,” De Castro said, reflecting on how the Bullpups overcame their 2-2 start that included a 79-78 loss to FEU-D.
“Very happy ako sa mga naging performance ng players namin. Talagang tinrabaho nila.”
Natinga came off the bench to lead NUNS with 17 points, including five triples. Shaun Lucido, the MVP of the inaugural UAAP Junior High School Boys tournament, and Corian Cabantog added 14 points each, while Matias contributed 12 points, nine assists, and five steals.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Cabonilas finished with 17 points, 16 rebounds, and three steals, while JB Cagurungan and Sam Hall added 16 and 13 points, respectively, for FEU-Diliman.
Meanwhile, the Junior Archers delivered their best performance of the season against their archrivals.
DLSZ took control early, opening with a 13-3 run and leading 48-37 at halftime. Ateneo narrowed the gap with a 19-10 third quarter, bringing the score to 58-56 entering the final period.
With Ateneo threatening midway through the fourth, DLSZ executed a decisive rally, with contributions from Kio Favis, Maco Dabao, Ken Atienza, Mark Borrero, and Yusuf Mikailu, restoring a lead that never fell below eight points for the remainder of the game.
“It’s been rough over the past few games, but luckily we were able to break that losing streak against UPIS and carry that momentum here,” Nazario said, noting that DLSZ had lost three straight games before beating UPIS and Ateneo.
“I told the team right after the game that it was a big win, but it still doesn’t put us anywhere—we haven’t won anything yet. Maybe we’ve proven that we belong, but that’s not enough. We’re not secure yet; we still have a lot of things to work on.”
Dabao led DLSZ with 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting, adding five assists and three rebounds. Borrero had 14 points, while Nino Ferrer contributed 13.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Mikailu, the 6-foot-11 Nigerian big man, grabbed 17 rebounds and scored eight points, also defending fellow countryman Jude Eriobu, who still finished with 25 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks for Ateneo.
Jay M. Leal and Noah Banal struggled from the field, combining for just 8-of-23 shooting, with Leal posting 14 points and six rebounds and Banal adding 11.
DLSZ also forced Ateneo into 23 turnovers, converting them into 25 points.
The Scores:
Third Game:
NUNS 80 – Natinga 17, Lucido 14, Cabantog 14, Matias M. 12, Figueroa 6, Matias R. 5, Diakite 5, Juan 3, Cartel 2, Bouzina 2.
FEU-D 72 – Cabonilas 17, Cagurungan 16, Hall 13, Esperanza 9, Gaye 8, Carino 4, Raneses 3, Burgos 2, Alagaban 0, Santos 0, Sohm 0.
Quarterscores: 17-16, 42-23, 62-45, 80-72.
Fourth Game:
DLSZ 80 – Dabao 24, Borrero 14, Ferrer 13, Atienza 8, Mikailu 8, Favis 8, Arejola 5, Alpapara 0, Llamas 0, Luna 0, Dimayuga 0.
Ateneo 72 – Eriobu 25, Leal 14, Banal 11, Tamayo 6, Espinas 5, Reyes 5, Kaw 3, Aquino 2, Madrangca 0, Gatmaitan 0.
Quarterscores: 25-18, 48-37, 58-56, 80-72.
