UNIVERSITY of the East continued to set the pace in the UAAP Season 87 Junior High School Boys’ Basketball Tournament, cruising past suddenly-struggling De La Salle-Zobel, 85-63, on Sunday at the Adamson Gym.
The Junior Warriors maintained their spotless 4-0 record, establishing themselves as the team to beat in this new tournament that was recently a part of the league’s regular event.
UE previously dominated UST Tiger Cubs (69-51), UPIS Fighting Maroons (91-44), and FEU-Diliman Baby Tamaraws (82-74) in this streak.
Despite their latest victory, Junior Warriors 16U head coach Andrew Estrella remained cautious, urging his young Warriors to stay grounded and avoid overconfidence.
“Actually, again this is a confidence-booster for our team because Zobel is a good team. But, of course, palagi ko pinapaalala sa boys namin that we can’t be complacent,” Estrella, a trusted deputy of UE High School Basketball head coach Karl Santos, remarked. “Again, it’s one game at a time because any team in the UAAP can beat us if we’re not going to play consistently.”
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
The game’s momentum was set early by Gab Delos Reyes, a 6-foot-2 transferee from San Beda-Rizal, who scored eight of UE’s 30 points in the first quarter.
Delos Reyes finished the game with 14 points on an efficient 7-of-8 shooting, along with eight rebounds and two blocks.
“Gab is a smart player. He just does his job. He just rebounds and lets the game come to him. He is a system player,” Estrella said of the emerging forward.
UE’s dominance peaked in the final quarter when they stretched their lead to 27 points, 76-49, effectively sealing their fourth win in as many games.
Ethan Oraa, a key holdover from last season’s squad, led the scoring effort with 19 points, adding six rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Neil Garcia contributed with 13 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, while young Filipino-Nigerian prospect Goodluck Okebata added eight points and 10 rebounds to round out the Junior Warriors’ strong performance.
Defensively, the Junior Warriors put on a masterclass, holding the Junior Archers to just 31 percent shooting from the field.
Melvin Tailan managed 17 points on 7-of-19 shooting, while DLSZ’s high-scoring guard Vince Magan was held scoreless, missing all five of his attempts.
“We prepared for them. Si Melvin hindi namin gaano na-limit but si Magan, surprisingly, na-limit namin. But they are good players and I know they will bounce back,” Estrella acknowledged, as DLSZ dropped its second straight game, sliding to fifth place with a 2-2 record.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
In an earlier game, the Baby Tamaraws secured their third consecutive victory, defeating the Fighting Maroons, 85-63.
The Tamaraws had a balanced scoring effort with five players reaching double figures, led by CP Miranda’s 13 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Kierdy Victory (12 points), Denden Enriquez (11 points), Prince Carino (10 points), and Anton Lopez (10 points) also made key contributions in the win, helping FEU-D join Ateneo and UST in a three-way tie for second place with identical 3-1 records.
Meanwhile, UPIS, which dropped to 0-4 along with Adamson, was once again powered by the duo of Jhustin Hallare and Bruce Tubongbanua.
Hallare posted a day-high 25 points, while Tubongbanua, who also plays for UPIS’s 19-and-under team, recorded a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double.
The Scores:
First Game:
FEU-D 85 – Miranda 13, Victoria 12, Enriquez 11, Carino 10, Lopez 10, Dulin 9, Pineda 8, Pasinos 4, Santos 4, Pingris 2, Lassiter 1, Diaz 1, Adriano 0, Barlan 0, Daa 0.
UPIS 63 – Hallare 25, Tubongbanua 21, Addatu 8, Cobico 7, Rosete 2, Lugatiman 0, Gepitan 0, Baldovino 0, Labao 0, Repane 0.
Quarterscores: 26-19, 49-37, 71-54, 85-63.
Second Game:
UE 80 – Oraa 19, Delos Reyes 14, Garcia 13, Okebata 8, Mesina 8, Pascual 7, Ferreros 6, Panganiban 3, Bungar 2, Dalosa 0, Orca 0.
DLSZ 59 – Tailan 17, Luna 14, Apao 10, Tan 8, Centeno 4, Purugganan E. 3, Rivera 2, Maglipon 1, Magan 0, Llamas 0, Purugganan I. 0, Fuentes 0, Mindanao 0.
Quarterscores: 30-16, 52-35, 65-47, 80-59.
