University of the East moved closer to an elimination round sweep, while Far Eastern University-Diliman secured the second Final Four spot in the UAAP Season 87 Junior High School Basketball Tournament on Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
The Junior Warriors, with a dominant 95-65 win against the UPIS Fighting Maroons, are now just two games away from becoming the first team to complete an elimination round sweep in the division.
Meanwhile, the Baby Tamaraws extended their winning streak to three games, clinching a 78-61 victory over Season 86 finals archrival NUNS Bullpups to become the second team to secure a postseason berth.
With an average winning margin of 19 points over their 12-game streak, UE’s bid for an elimination round sweep will face challenges from Adamson University and FEU.
“Ngayon, hindi pwede na may slow starts kami. Dapat we have to play consistent, as I’ve said. We’re in the latter part of the season, and everything should be taken into consideration. Small mistakes could lead to losing. We just have to play consistent kasi all the teams will fight for their lives to beat us,” said UE head coach Andrew Estrella.
Neil Garcia led five UE players in double figures with 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting, adding four rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Jolo Pascual contributed 12 points, six steals, and five assists, while Enrico Bungar also scored 12 points with six rebounds.
Kiefer Panganiban added 11 points, four assists, three steals, and two rebounds, and Mav Mesina, who left late in the game due to leg cramps, finished with nine points, four assists, three rebounds, and one steal.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
The Baby Tamaraws, on the other hand, are peaking at the right moment, securing their spot in the postseason after back-to-back wins against the DLSZ Junior Archers and the Baby Falcons.
FEU-D’s 9-2 record solidifies its hold on second place, while NUNS now sits two games behind DLSZ for the fourth seed with a 5-7 record.
“Alam naman natin itong NUNS na ito, masakit experience namin last year yung sa championship. Nagbigay lang kami ng statement na hindi mo na pwede gawin sa amin ulit ‘yon. May ticket na kami sa Final Four, pero yung hinahanap naming ticket ngayon, yung number two spot, at walang sweep kung saka-sakali,” said Baby Tamaraws head coach Muriel Garcia.
FEU-D avenged its heartbreaking loss in the Season 86 Final by defeating NUNS twice this season, starting with a 89-71 first-round victory on September 14.
Duke Santos led the Baby Tamaraws with 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and one steal, while Anton Lopez added 14 points, five assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
Prince Carino nearly posted a double-double with 12 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, and one steal. Mark Dulin contributed 10 points and nine rebounds.
Meanwhile, Ateneo de Manila University relied on Zane Kallos’ triple-double performance to end their two-game skid, while Jhon Canapi’s 38-point explosion helped University of Santo Tomas solidify its hold on solo third place.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Kallos, the MVP frontrunner, recorded the second triple-double of the season with 25 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists, leading Ateneo to a 74-65 win over archrivals DLSZ Junior Archers.
The first triple-double was notched by UST’s Dustin Bathan back in Sep 29, 2024.
“His triple-double is an indication of the well-roundedness of his game. He’s not just a scorer, he can pass, rebound, and be the glue in our team. Especially today, he made sure everyone was in line with our vision. As captain, what else can we ask for?” said Ateneo head coach Reggie Aromin.
Meanwhile, Canapi set a new tournament scoring record with 38 points, leading UST to an 82-65 victory over the Adamson Baby Falcons.
Canapi shot 14-of-24 from the field, including 7-of-14 from beyond the arc, and added six rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
This performance followed his previous tournament high of 35 points in UST’s first-round win over Ateneo on September 11.
“Sana lang, every crucial game, mamaintain niya yung galing ni Canapi. Kahit hindi 38 points, basta maganda ang laro niya. ‘Yon ang importante, kasi gusto ko lang maging consistent siya, pati yung ibang players namin,” said UST head coach Noli Mejos.
With the win, UST (8-4) created significant distance from the Junior Archers and Blue Eagles, who both hold 5-6 records.
The victory also sent Adamson to the brink of elimination, with a 2-9 record and three games remaining.
Unfortunately for UST, guard Theodore Lim suffered an injury late in the game, twisting his right ankle during a three-point attempt with 1:12 remaining. He was stretchered off the court.
Andwele Cabanero came close to a triple-double with 14 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and two steals, while Miguel Jubilado added 14 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
Dustin Bathan contributed six points on 3-of-12 shooting, but also posted nine assists, five rebounds, and two steals.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
DLSZ’s Vince Magan led the losing effort with 22 points, four rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block. Melvin Tailan added 17 points, eight rebounds, and two assists.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
In NUNS’ third straight loss, Chester Tulabut led with 17 points, 11 rebounds, four steals, three assists, and two blocks, while Nick Peña contributed 11 points, six rebounds, three assists, and one steal.
Mac Tadeo added 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals, and Dwayne Khobuntin tallied eight points, 13 rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Prince Banate achieved a double-double in the loss with 13 points and 13 rebounds to go along with one steal and one block for Adamson, while Edison Jordan also tallied a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds with six assists.
Keefe Iledan contributed 12 points, 12 rebounds, and two assists, while Aurelio Fransman scored 10 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists, and one steal.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Bruce Tubongbanua paced UPIS in its 12th straight defeat with a double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds, along with three assists and two steals.
Jhustin Hallare also contributed 22 points, six rebounds, three assists, and one steal.
The Scores:
First Game:
UE (95) – Garcia 16, Pascual 12, Bungar 12, Panganiban 11, Ferreros 10, Mesina 9, Oraa 9, Orca 7, Delos Reyes 6, Dalosa 2, Okebata 1.
UPIS (65) – Tubongbanua 25, Hallare 22, Cobico 7, Addatu 6, Labao 3, Rosete 2, Poquiz 0, Repane 0, Baldovino 0, Gepitan 0, Lugatiman 0, Manguerra 0.
Quarterscores: 25-20, 45-31, 68-58, 95-65.
Second Game:
FEU-D (78) – Santos 15, Lopez 14, Cariño 12, Dulin 10, Pingris 8, Pasinos 6, Miranda 4, Lassiter 4, Enriquez 3, Pineda 2, Victoria 0.
NUNS (61) – Tulabut 17, N. Peña 11, Tadeo 10, Khobuntin 8, Sabareza 5, Vitug 5, Urea 3, Y. Peña 2, Quinto 0, Reroma 0, Toring 0.
Quarterscores: 16-16, 41-35, 61-42, 78-61.
Third Game:
Ateneo (74) – Kallos 25, Jazul 22, Lacsamana 7, Bernarte 6, Juangco 5, Molina 3, Ngo 2, Divinagracia 2, Ramos 2, Pineda 0, Valte 0, Hwang 0, Fernandez 0, Meresen 0, Ylen 0, Dela Rosa 0.
DLSZ (65) – Magan 22, Tailan 17, Centeno 8, Apao 7, Luna 6, Llamas 3, Tan 2, Villaruz 0, Rivera 0, Purugganan 0.
Quarterscores: 22-12, 45-24, 60-47, 74-65.
Fourth Game:
UST (82) – Canapi 38, Cabanero 14, Jubilado 14, Bathan 6, Lim 6, Castro 4, Villacarlos 0, Guinto 0, Aguilar 0, Javier 0, Balague 0, Duenas 0, Guerrero 0.
AdU (65) – Banate 13, E. Jordan 12, Iledan 12, Fransman 10, Gomez 9, Fongtong 4, Alcantara 3, Jordan 2, Tiamzon 0, Ang 0.
Quarterscores: 16-19, 43-33, 62-46, 82-65.
