UNIVERSITY of the East completed a first-round sweep of the UAAP Season 87 Junior High School Basketball Tournament, dominating Adamson University in an 85-63 wire-to-wire win on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Junior Warriors finished the round with a perfect 7-0 record, boasting an average winning margin of 21.71 points per game.
Six of UE’s seven wins were by double digits, though their September 18 matchup against second-seeded Far Eastern University (6-1) was closely contested, with UE edging out an 82-74 victory.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“Marami pa kaming kailangan trabahuin. Throughout the first round, I saw a lot of things we need to improve on,” said Junior Warriors head coach Andrew Estrella.
“Especially this game. This is a bad game for us. For my boys, it’s not enough to play for 20, 30, or 10 minutes. It should be a full 40 minutes. We’ve learned a lot of lessons.” the young head coach added.
UE came out firing, racing to a 19-point lead, 36-17, early in the second quarter.
Six consecutive points from Gab Delos Reyes and a layup by Mav Mesina pushed the lead to a game-high 24 points, 77-53, virtually sealing the win with 5:43 remaining.
“We’re thankful we swept the first round, but the second round is different. All the teams have adjusted and scouted us. When the second round comes, the target on our backs gets bigger. Everyone wants to beat us, so I remind the boys to stay composed and not focus on the bigger picture just yet,” Estrella added.
Enrico Bungar led the Junior Warriors with 14 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals, registering a plus-18 rating in just over 21 minutes of action.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Jolo Pascual contributed 13 points, four assists, and two steals, while Ethan Oraa added 13 points, three rebounds, three steals, and an assist.
Gab Delos Reyes chipped in with 11 points, four rebounds, three blocks, and two steals.
Meanwhile, De La Salle-Zobel had to dig deep to fend off University of the Philippines Integrated School, 75-69, and end the round tied at third with University of Santo Tomas.
The Junior Maroons trimmed a 12-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter down to just five points, but DLSZ forced two crucial defensive stops and made three key free throws to secure the win.
“Double effort in practice is needed. We keep reminding and motivating the boys to play their best. Hopefully, we can win the winnable games in the second round,” said Junior Green Archers head coach Penny Laureaga.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Jayden Centeno led DLSZ with 21 points, including 5-of-10 from beyond the arc, while Vince Magan added 16 points, five steals, and three rebounds.
Despite struggling from the field, all-around guard Melvin Tailan contributed 12 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
Chrys Gomez led the Baby Falcons with 18 points, four assists, and two steals, while Craig Fongtong posted a double-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.
Khiyan Jordan struggled with just eight points on 3-of-12 shooting and committed 11 turnovers, though he added seven rebounds and three assists. Keefe Iledan contributed five points and 10 rebounds but shot just 25 percent from the field.
For UPIS, Jhustin Hallare, who had a no-relief game, finished with 32 points on 52.4 percent shooting, 11 rebounds, and three assists, but committed nine turnovers.
Bruce Tubongbanua nearly recorded a triple-double with 20 points, 23 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.
The Baby Falcons ended the round with just one win — a victory over the listless Fighting Maroons.
The Scores:
First Game
UE (85) – Bungar 14, Pascual 13, Oraa 12, Delos Reyes 11, Mesina 9, Orca 8, Panganiban 6, Garcia 6, Ferreros 4, Okebata 3, Dalosa 0.
ADU (63) – Lopez 18, Fongtong 17, E. Jordan 8, Iledan 5, Fransman 5, Damian 4, Tuazon 2, Azurias 2, Ondevilla 2, Banate 0, Jordan 0
Quarterscores: 22-10, 46-36, 69-49, 85-63
Second Game:
DLSZ (75) – Centeno 21, Magan 16, Tailan 12, Tan 8, Villaruz 7, Llamas 6, Apao 3, Luna 2, Purugganan 0, Maglipon 0, Rivera 0.
UPIS (69) – Hallare 32, Tubongbanua 20, Cobico 8, Addatu 5, Poquiz 4, Rosete 0, Gepitan 0, Lugatiman 0.
Quarterscores: 17-15, 36-31, 62-50, 75-69.
