UNIVERSITY of the East pulled off a massive win on Wednesday, stunning last season’s finalist and perennial powerhouse Far Eastern University-Diliman with an 82-74 victory to claim sole possession of the top spot in the UAAP Season 87 Junior High School Boys’ Basketball Tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Coming into the game, both the Junior Warriors and the Baby Tamaraws were undefeated, the only remaining unbeaten teams in this newly elevated 16-and-under competition.
“Malaki siyang factor pero for me, ito ay para sa program namin. Hopefully, throughout the tournament, makakuha pa kami ng mas maraming panalo para mas maraming players ang pumunta sa program namin, hindi lang sa juniors kundi pati sa men’s and women’s teams—sa buong basketball program ng UE,” said Junior Warriors 16U head coach Andrew Estrella.
“Pero of course, hindi porke’t FEU ang tinalo namin, okay na ‘yun. We have to instill in the kids na mahaba pa ang tournament na ‘to. Pero definitely, this is a good boost para sa program na tinatayo namin,” he added.
Behind the stellar performances of Gab Delos Reyes, Enrico Bungar, and Ethan Oraa, the Junior Warriors surged early and carried their momentum into the final quarter, building a commanding 70-49 lead.
However, the Baby Tamaraws mounted a fierce comeback.
Denden Enriquez knocked down a three-pointer and followed it up with a layup, trimming the lead to just five, 79-74, with 1:45 left on the clock.
The momentum seemed to shift further in FEU’s favor after an inbound violation was called on UE’s Kiefer Panganiban. But crucial misses by Enriquez and Mark Dulin, coupled with a clutch basket from Neil Garcia, sealed the win for the Junior Warriors.
“Charge it to experience, don’t be complacent. Even though we had a big lead and we knew FEU’s strength and ability to come back, we just stayed composed,” said Estrella.
Delos Reyes, a transferee from Lourdes School QC, led the Junior Warriors to their third straight win with 18 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks, and one steal.
Bungar, a holdover from last season’s bronze-medal squad, added 14 points and nine rebounds, while San Beda College-Alabang transferee Panganiban and Iloilo native Oraa each contributed 11 points.
FEU-Diliman fell into a four-way tie for third place with a 2-1 record, joining De La Salle-Zobel, Ateneo de Manila University, and University of Santo Tomas.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
CP Miranda, son of FEU basketball operations head and PBA legend Denok Miranda, paced the Baby Tamaraws with 16 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
All-around guard Anton Lopez added 11 points, seven assists, three rebounds, and three steals, while lanky forward Prince Cariño was limited to just nine points and three boards.
Meanwhile, defending champion National University Nazareth School secured its first win of the season with a wire-to-wire 94-76 victory over University of the Philippines Integrated School.
“We’re far from done. Hindi pa ako totally satisfied. Though there’s improvement game by game, we can’t be satisfied. Kailangan pagtrabahuhan pa natin,” said Bullpups head coach Kevin de Castro, as his Bullpups continue to rebuild after the graduation of key Bullpups Shaun Lucido, Rob Celiz, and Mot Matias to senior high school.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
The Bullpups dominated every aspect of the game, shooting 49.3 percent from the field and outrebounding UPIS’ undermanned nine-man squad, 51-32.
They led by as many as 29 points, 82-53, late in the third quarter.
Chester Talabut, a returning Bullpup from last season’s championship team, led the way for NUNS with 24 points on 71.4 percent shooting, along with nine rebounds, four steals, and three assists.
Nick Peña and David Sabareza contributed 15 and 14 points, respectively, as the Bullpups improved to 1-2.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Despite UPIS’ Tubongbanua dropping a game-high 33 points on 13-of-22 shooting, and Jhustin Hallare adding 29 points, the Fighting Maroons remained winless with a 0-3 record, tying Adamson for last place.
The Scores:
First Game
UE (82) – Delos Reyes 18, Bungar 12, Panganiban 11, Oraa 11, Ferreros 10, Garcia 6, Orca 5, Okebata 5, Pascual 3, Mesina 1.
FEU-D (74) – Miranda 16, Lopez 11, Enriquez 10, Pasinos 10, Cariño 9, Dulin 8, Diaz 6, Adriano 2, Santos 2, Lassiter 0, Pingris 0, Victoria 0, Pineda 0.
Quarterscores: 25-16, 49-33, 67-49, 82-74
Second Game
NUNS (94) – Tulabut 24, N. Peña 15, Sabereza 14, Y. Peña 11, Khobuntin 8, Tadeo 6, Gutierez 6, Vitug 5, Urea 3, Toring 2, Reroma 0, Maranan 0.
UPIS (76) – Tubongbanua 33, Hallare 23, Addatu 9, Cobico 4, Rosete 1, Gepitan 0, Lugatiman 0, Baldovino 0, Labao 0.
Quarterscores: 32-24, 63-42, 82-56, 94-76
