University of Santo Tomas and De La Salle-Zobel bolstered their Final Four campaigns after defeating separate opponents in the UAAP Season 87 Junior High School Basketball Tournament on Wednesday.
The Tiger Cubs bounced back with an 80-70 victory over reigning champions National University Nazareth School at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion Arena.
Meanwhile, Ram Luna’s clutch heroics lifted the Junior Archers to a 79-74 come-from-behind win over the University of the Philippines Integrated School.
Rebounding from a narrow 78-80 defeat to an undefeated University of the East squad, UST capitalized on a 14-day break and homecourt advantage to improve to 7-4, strengthening their hold on solo third place.
The Bullpups, meanwhile, suffered their second consecutive loss, dropping to fifth place with a 5-6 record, trailing the Junior Archers by half a game, with three matches left in the eliminations.
“Sabi ko nga, dapat maging sigurista na tayo dahil dulo na ng season. Wala nang room for error ito hanggang magstart yung semifinals. Talagang sigurista ka na talaga dapat para masure yung ticket namin sa Final Four,” Tiger Cubs head coach Noli Mejos said.
The Tiger Cubs trio of Jhon Canapi, Dustin Bathan, and Miguel Jubilado powered a 17-7 run to close the third quarter, stretching a narrow 43-42 lead into a comfortable 60-49 advantage heading into the final period.
Andwele Cabañero’s layup, a Canapi three-pointer, and an inside basket from Lohann Villacarlos gave UST a commanding 75-60 lead with 3:50 left, sealing their sixth win in 10 games and repeating their 84-83 first-round victory over NUNS on September 21.
Canapi bounced back from a lackluster game against UE, scoring 22 points, along with six rebounds, five assists, and a steal.
Cabañero added 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting, with six rebounds, four assists, and a steal.
Jubilado contributed 16 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks, while Bathan nearly played the entire game, tallying 15 points, six rebounds, and six assists in 38 minutes and 53 seconds of action.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
The Junior Archers, coming off a tough 79-83 loss to last season’s runners-up FEU-D Baby Tamaraws, secured a crucial win to take sole possession of fourth place with a 5-5 record.
With their 11th consecutive loss, the Fighting Maroons became the first team eliminated from the Final Four race.
“Minotivate ko sila nung mga times na naghahabol kami. Pinaalala ko ulit kung ano possible na mangyari kung manalo or matalo dito, so doon sila nagsimula magtrabaho dahil nakakuha sila ng motivation,” DLSZ head coach Penny Laureaga shared.
A three-pointer by Jhustin Hallare and a layup by Kean Poquiz kept UPIS within striking distance at 68-65, but back-to-back triples and a floater from Luna pushed DLSZ back to an 11-point lead, 76-65, with under 2:30 remaining.
Luna’s late-game burst secured the Junior Archers’ fifth win in 10 games, completing a season sweep over UPIS after their 75-65 victory in the first round on October 6.
DLSZ was led by Magan’s 23 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and a steal, while Luna recorded a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds, adding two assists and two steals.
Tailan also delivered a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, alongside four assists, while Jayden Centeno contributed eight points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
For the Bullpups, Nick Peña paced the team with 20 points, six rebounds, two steals, and an assist.
Chester Tulabut added a double-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and a steal.
Dave Quinto chipped in nine points, five assists, three rebounds, and two steals, while Yujin Peña came close to a double-double with seven points, nine rebounds, two assists, and a block.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Hallare nearly set a tournament scoring record with 34 points on 10-of-17 shooting, along with nine rebounds, four assists, and a block. UST’s Canapi holds the record with 35 points in their decisive 100-77 win over Ateneo last September 11.
Tubongbanua also had an impressive performance, finishing just one rebound shy of a 20-20 game with 26 points, 19 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal.
The Scores:
First Game:
UST (80) – Canapi 22, Cabañero 20, Jubilado 16, Bathan 15, Castro 5, Villacarlos 2, Guerrero 0, Lim 0, Javier 0, Guinto 0, Duenas 0, Aguilar 0.
NUNS (70) – N. Peña 20, Tulabut 19, Quinto 9, Y. Peña 7, Tadeo 5, Khobuntin 4, Urea 3, Reroma 3, Vitug 0, Sabareza 0, Gutierrez 0.
Quarterscores: 21-14, 39-38, 60-49, 80-70.
Second Game:
DLSZ (79) – Magan 23, Luna 20, Tailan 18, Centeno 8, Rivera 4, Maglipon 2, Villaruz 2, Apao 2, Purugganan 0, Llamas 0, Tan 0.
UPIS (74) – Hallare 34, Tubongbanua 26, Poquiz 4, Gepitan 4, Addatu 4, Cobico 2, Lugatiman 0, Repane 0, Rosete 0.
Quarterscores: 14-20, 34-37, 59-55, 79-74.
