Far Eastern University-Diliman and National University Nazareth School remained unbeaten in the UAAP Season 86 Junior High School Basketball Tournament on Sunday.
But both squads needed to dig deep to keep their slates unblemished.
The Baby Tamaraws leaned on a late-game break to escape the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 74-72, while the Bullpups escaped the UST Tiger Cubs, 87-82, at the Moro Lorenzo Gym in Quezon City.
With the game tied at 72-all with 7.7 seconds left, 15-year-old guard Travis Pascual drove over the outstretched arms of Q Molina. A late whistle was blown, resulting in two free throws for Pascual.
Pascual knocked down his two free throws to give the Baby Tams the lead.
Off a timeout, Alfonso Tan attempted a similar move, but his shot missed as it was contested by big man Pat Pasinos as time expired.
“This is the very essence of grassroots,” said Baby Tams head coach Mark Isip, a former professional and former Tamraw. “We have players as young as 12 and as old as 16.
“If we can instill good habits and discipline at a young age, it will make a big difference. This is a good stage for them to showcase and develop their skills,” he added.
Ateneo was down 61-52 midway through the final frame before making a spirited rally spurred by the packed house at Moro.
Coco Santos, Aiori Aquino, Renzo Gatmaitan, and Molina all caught fire, with Molina’s corner triple with less than 20 seconds left cutting the lead down to one, 71-72.
A steal by Tan in the next possession led to two free throws for the 16-year-old guard.
However, he split his free throws, leading to Pascual’s heroics.
Pascual ended up with 13 points, eight rebounds, and five steals while Mark Dulin chipped in 12 points, leading FEU-D to a 4-0 record in this demonstration event.
It was the same story for the Bullpups, who had to hold off a late Tiger Cubs surge to gain their third straight win.
NUNS needed every bit of Shaun Lucindo’s 31 points and eight rebounds to secure the win.
Chester Tulabut and Mot Matias provided support, with the former adding 21 points while the latter tallied 11 points and 10 assists.
The two unbeaten squads will face off on Wednesday at the Amoranto Sports Center.
“We have to prepare really, really hard because if we play the same way, I don’t think we have a chance against them,” said Isip.
In the opening game of the day, the University of the East romped past Adamson, 80-35, to pick up its first win in three outings.
Jared Ferreros led UE with 15 points while Mav Mesina and Mhico Abellar contributed 12 points apiece.
UST’s Lorenzo Cinco’s 29-point effort went for naught as they fell to an even 2-2 slate for solo fourth.
Santos paced 0-3 Ateneo with 14 points while Zane Kallos added 12 points and nine rebounds.
Adamson remained winless in four games.
The Scores:
First Game:
UE 80 – Ferreros 15, Mesina 12, Abellar 12, Garcia 8, Bungar 8, Roquid 7, Dalosa 6, Oraa 5, Bual 3, Cadorna 2, Aguas 2, Dahino 0.
ADU 35 – Urbina 10, Barlacto 5, Sambeli 4, Borbon 4, Velasco 4, Liwanag 3, Santiago 3, Cruz 2, Pantia 0, Ching 0, Fernandez 0, Hall 0.
Quarterscores: 32-8, 49-16, 69-24, 80-35.
Second Game:
NUNS 87 – Lucido 31, Tulabut 21, Matias 11, Celiz 7, Callueng 4, Sison 3, Vitug 2, Tolentino 2, Sundiang 2, Mejia 2, QIUnto 1, Enguio 0, Tacneng 0.
UST 82 – Cinco 29, Canabero 19, Bohol 8, Dela Cruz 8, Sy 5, Bathan 4, Castro 3, De Castro 2, Guerrero 2, Knowls 2, Sangki 0.
Quarterscores: 21-20, 45-41, 64-59, 87-82.
Third Game:
FEU-D 74 – Pascual 13, Dulin 12, Cagurungan 9, Dagcutan 8, Pasinos 8, Gutierrez 6, Hugano 5, Lopez 4, Carino 4, Chua 3, Mirando 2, Dongrin 0.
Ateneo 72 – Santos 14, Kallos 12, Aquino 10, Gatmaitan 9, Molina 9, Magpoc 7, Lanot 3, De Ocampo 0, Enrique 0, Bautista 0, Ngo 0.
Quarterscores: 19-8, 39-28, 54-52, 74-72
