Far Eastern University-Diliman extended its winning streak to three games, overpowering Ateneo de Manila University with an 80-61 victory to remain in solo second in the UAAP Season 87 Junior High School Basketball Tournament on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
With the victory, the Baby Tamaraws improved to 5-1, remaining a game behind the league-leading UE Junior Warriors.
Earlier, De La Salle-Zobel stunned the University of Santo Tomas, 83-80, to end its three-game losing streak.
For Baby Tamaraws head coach Muriel Garcia, the win came as a relief, given the challenges the team faced in the days leading up to the match.
“Actually, pinag-aaralan namin kahapon ni Coach Denok (Miranda) kung paano ikot ng tao kasi ang daming injuries sa amin,” Garcia said. “Ni-remind lang namin players namin na keep on playing, keep on playing, keep on playing, especially on defense (and) keep on pushing, keep on pushing the ball. And we finished the job.”
Mic Pingris, son of PBA legend Marc Pingris, stepped up for FEU-D, scoring a career-high 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
Anton Lopez, a transferee from Diliman Preparatory School, also delivered an impressive all-around performance with 16 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and six steals.
Meanwhile, CP Miranda — the son of FEU head of basketball operations Denok — contributed 15 points and five assists.
The Baby Tamaraws’ defense was key to the win, as they limited Ateneo’s star guard Zane Kallos to just nine points on 2-of-14 shooting.
Zane, the son of former San Sebastian head coach John Kallos, still managed 12 rebounds and six assists but struggled to find his rhythm.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
On the other hand, the Junior Archers fought in a back-and-forth battle against the Tiger Cubs to return to the win column.
Ram Luna, a product of De La Salle Lipa, hit the go-ahead jumper to give the Junior Archers an 80-79 lead with 1:02 left, completing a 19-9 run that erased a 10-point deficit early in the fourth quarter.
With 45.1 seconds remaining, UST’s Jhon Canapi was fouled by Vince Magan and managed to tie the game with a free throw.
However, Luna responded with a lay-up, reclaiming the lead for La Salle with 24 seconds left.
The Tiger Cubs fouled Melvin Tailan to stop the clock, and he made one free throw to push the lead to three.
With only 6.2 seconds remaining, Canapi brought the ball down but was unable to get a shot off due to La Salle’s tight defense, sealing the win for the Junior Archers.
Tailan, a transferee from Blue Danube School, Inc., led DLSZ with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists.
Magan added 21 points, six rebounds, and four assists, while Luna, who made the crucial baskets, finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.
“Medyo expected ko na magte-turnovers kami kasi is one of the younger (ones) here in the 16-under,” Junior Archers head coach Penny Laureaga said.
“Lagi ko sinasabi sa kanila, once you turn the ball over, do something on defense. We need to make a stop. Move on tayo and then the next play is another chance for us to execute and do something to bounce back.”
The win brought DLSZ to 3-3, just half a game behind UST and Ateneo, who are tied for third with identical 3-2 records.
Five Tiger Cubs scored in double digits, with Dustin Bathan notching the first-ever triple-double in the division with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Miguel Jubilado led the Tiger Cubs with 21 points, six assists, and four steals, while Andwele Cabañero added 15 points and nine rebounds.
Theodore Lim and Canapi chipped in 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Despite their contributions, the trio of Cabañero, Canapi, and Bathan struggled with their shooting, combining for just 16-of-50 from the field.
In Ateneo’s loss to FEU-D, Sky Jazul led the Blue Eagles with 19 points, including 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc, while YJ Lacsamana added 11 points and eight rebounds.
However, their efforts were not enough to overcome the Baby Tamaraws’ dominance.
The Scores:
First Game
DLSZ (83) – Tailan 25, Magan 21, Luna 19, Centeno 5, Maglipon 4, Apao 4, Tan 3, Llamas 2, I. Purugganan 0, Rivera 0, E. Purugganan 0.
UST (80) – Jubilado 21, Cabañero 15, Lim 14, Canapi 13, Bathan 12, Guinto 2, Villacarlos 2, Guerrero 1, Castro 0, Aguilar 0, Javier 0, Yu 0, Balague 0.
Quarterscores: 21-20, 42-42, 61-69, 83-80.
Second Game
FEU-D (80) – Lopez 16, Miranda 15, Pingris 14, Santos 9, Cariño 7, Dulin 6, Pasinos 6, Enriquez 4, Lassiter 3, Pineda 0, Chavez 0, Barlan 0, Daa 0, Diaz 0.
Ateneo (61) – Jazul 19, Lacsamana 11, Kallos 9, Ngo 9, Juangco 6, Molina 4, Ylen 3, Bernarte 0, Valte 0, Pineda 0, Dela Rosa 0, Divinagracia 0, Ramos 0, Meresen 0, Fernandez 0.
Quarterscores: 27-13, 42-33, 59-43, 80-61.
