University of Santo Tomas and Ateneo de Manila secured narrow wins on Saturday, earning a share of second place in the UAAP Season 87 Junior High School Boys’ Basketball Tournament.
The Tiger Cubs narrowly edged out inaugural champions National University Nazareth School Bullpups, 84-83.
Meanwhile, the Blue Eagles staved off an upset bid from the Adamson Baby Falcons, 79-73, to improve to 3-1 in the tournament, held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
For UST, it was a great escape.
The Tiger Cubs held an 84-77 lead with 2:13 remaining in the game, but the trio of Chester Tulabut, Yujin Peña, and Zui Urea sparked a rally that trimmed the lead to just 83-84 with 28.9 seconds left.
With NUNS still three fouls away from the penalty, UST was able to waste valuable time.
However, the game remained in the balance when Andwele Cabanero – the younger brother of Growling Tiger Nic Cabanero – missed two crucial free throws with just 2.4 seconds left.
NUNS had one last chance to win the game.
Off a timeout, Urea found Tulabut, but his final attempt fell short as the buzzer sounded.
“Hindi angkop dun sa gusto ko mangyari yung laro namin pero luckily nanalo pa rin kami ng one point,” said Tiger Cubs head coach Noli Mejos.
“Lahat ng teams naga-adjust. Yung first three games, lahat struggle dahil hulaan lahat. Hindi alam kung sino kalaban, kung gano kalakas – pati kami nag-a-adjust din sa rotation,” added Noli, whose brother Andy is also part of his staff.
“Lumakas yung NU dahil sa rotation nila sa tao. Lahat naga-adjust dahil siguro nakita na yung makakalaban.”
UST’s victory was fueled by standout performances from Cabanero and Jhon Canapi, who both scored 22 points, with Canapi also adding seven rebounds and three steals.
Dustin Bathan, a transferee from San Beda-Rizal, also shone with 20 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Meanwhile, Ateneo appeared to be cruising to victory with a 77-56 lead and just 5:53 left in the final quarter.
However, the Baby Falcons mounted a furious 17-2 run, closing the gap and threatening to pull off a comeback.
Despite the late surge, the Blue Eagles held their composure and managed to secure the win.
“We have to have composure, especially in the endgame,” said Blue Eagles head coach Reggie Aromin. “We should be able to close out games na alam namin tapos na dapat. We have to learn that.
“The team is still young. We’re still growing. We’re still learning. This is part of the growing pains eh. May mga times talaga na akala mo okay na and then, siyempre, may mangyayari na kakaiba. That’s one of the things we have to learn also,” added the veteran mentor.
Sky Jazul, the son of 14-year PBA veteran RJ Jazul, led Ateneo with 19 points, while 15-year-old guard Zane Kallos flirted with a triple-double, contributing 18 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, and three steals.
“These two guys are very good players,” Aromin said of Jazul and Kallos. “That’s why they’re here. Ako, personally, I rely on them not only on the court but also off the court to make sure that the boys are okay.”
YJ Lacsamana, a 6-foot-4 forward from Cainta, Rizal, also delivered for Ateneo with 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Domeng Ngo added 13 points to complete the Blue Eagles’ balanced effort.
Despite a strong performance from Tulabut, who tallied 25 points, six rebounds, two assists, and three steals, NUNS dropped to 1-3, falling to sixth place in the standings.
David Sabareza added 15 points and seven rebounds, while Josh Vitug (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Peña (11 points, 11 rebounds) both registered double-doubles in the loss.
For the Baby Falcons, who fell to 0-4, Keefe Iledan led the way with 17 points and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Craig Fongton posted an impressive double-double with 15 points and 20 rebounds.
However, their efforts were not enough to overcome Ateneo’s early dominance.
The Scores:
First Game:
UST 84 — Cabañero 22, Canapi 22, Bathan 20, Castro 9, Jubilado 7, Balague 3, Villacarlos 1, Guerrero 0, Lim 0, Yu 0, Guinto 0, Javier 0, Aguilar 0.
NUNS 83 — Tulabut 25, Sabareza 15, Vitug 13, Y Peña 11, Urea 7, N Peña 5, Reroma 3, Tadeo 2, Khobuntin 2, Toring 0, Gutierrez 0.
Quarterscores: 23-22, 43-42, 70-62, 84-83.
Second Game:
Ateneo 79 – Jazul 19, Kallos 18, Lacsamana 16, Ngo 13, Juangco 6, Pineda 4, Molina 3, Dela Rosa 0, Ramos 0, Divinagracia 0, Hwang 0, Bernarte 0.
AdU 73 – Iledan 17, Fongtong 15, E. Jordan 14, Gomez 10, Damian 7, Ondevilla 4, Fransman 2, Banate 2, Azurias 2, K. Jordan 0, Alcantara 0, Tiamzon 0.
Quarterscores: 29-19, 50-33, 71-54, 79-73.
