UNIVERSITY of the East and Far Eastern University-Diliman locked in the first and second seeds, respectively, in the UAAP Season 87 Junior High School Basketball Tournament with commanding victories on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Junior Warriors bounced back from their first loss of the season with a statement 100-58 wire-to-wire win against the also-ran Adamson Baby Falcons while the Baby Tamaraws cruised past the winless University of the Philippines Integrated School Fighting Maroons, 73-51, securing twice-to-beat advantages in the Final Four.
UE is set to face the fourth seed, which is still to be determined among National University Nazareth School, Ateneo de Manila University, and De La Salle-Zobel.
FEU-D, on the other hand, will battle third-seeded University of Santo Tomas, which was still playing Ateneo as of press time. The Final Four schedule will be announced later.
After suffering their first defeat at the hands of FEU-D last Sunday, the Junior Warriors responded emphatically to finish the elimination round with a 13-1 record.
“I told them na we have to bounce back from the loss. Also, we have to work on kung ano pa yung kailangan namin pagtrabahuan. They responded very well. Masakit sa kanila yung talo ‘eh, but basketball ‘yon. Kaya ginawa na lang nila today best nila para makabawi,” said UE head coach Andrew Estrella.
UE’s dominance was evident early, as they built a 32-17 lead in the first quarter. A 16-2 surge to close the second period pushed their advantage to 60-30 by halftime.
The lead ballooned to 46 points, 98-52, following consecutive layups from Goodluck Okebata and free throws by Jared Ferreros.
Nine Junior Warriors scored eight or more points, led by Mav Mesina bounce back outing of 15 points, six rebounds, five assists, and five steals. Mesina was held to just two points against the Baby Tams.
Gab Delos Reyes added 14 points and six boards, while Okebata posted a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Kiefer Panganiban and Brian Orca chipped in 10 points each.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
The Baby Tamaraws extended their winning streak to five games, finishing the eliminations with an 11-2 record.
“Buti nasecure na namin yung No. 2 spot, pero sabi ko nga sa mga bata, starting today, i-treat niyo na lahat as preparations for the Final Four… Nagrespond silang lahat sa tulong ng leadership nila Prince [Carino], CP [Miranda], nila Anton [Lopez], at ni Mark [Dulin],” said FEU-D head coach Muriel Garcia.
UPIS faced additional adversity as their school bus broke down, delaying their arrival and disrupting their pre-game routines.
FEU-D capitalized on the situation, using a 16-4 run in the second quarter to establish a 42-24 halftime lead.
Although UPIS cut the deficit to 11 in the third period, the Baby Tamaraws answered with a 10-3 run to restore an 18-point cushion heading into the final frame.
Prince Carino spearheaded FEU-D’s attack with 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting, along with eight rebounds, one assist, and one block.
Anton Lopez contributed 11 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals, while Duke Santos added 10 points, three assists, and two steals.
CP Miranda also impressed with nine points, nine rebounds, six assists, and two steals.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
For Adamson, Aurelio Fransman led the effort with 12 points and two rebounds but committed eight turnovers.
Prince Banate scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds, while Craig Fongtong came close to a double-double with nine points, 15 rebounds, and three blocks.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Despite UPIS’ struggles, Jhustin Hallare shone in their final game, tallying 23 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Bruce Tubongbanua also delivered a strong performance with 20 points and 12 rebounds. The duo combined for 43 of the team’s 51 total points.
Adamson, which will still face DLSZ on Saturday, dropped to 3-10 slate while UPIS finished campaign winless.
The Scores:
First Game:
UE (100) – Mesina 15, Delos Reyes 14, Okebata 13, Panganiban 10, Orca 10, Bungar 9, Pascual 9, Ferreros 8, Oraa 8, Garcia 4, Dalosa 0.
AdU (58) – Fransman 12, Banate 10, Alcantara 9, Fongtong 9, Azurias 6, Ondevilla 6, Tiamzon 2, E. Jordan 2, Tuazon 2, A. Jordan 0, Ang 0.
Quarterscores: 32-17, 60-30, 83-46, 100-58.
Second Game:
FEU-D (73) – Carino 24, Lopez 11, Santos 10, Miranda 9, Pasinos 6, Dulin 4, Enriquez 3, Barlan 2, Diaz 2, Daa 2, Victoria 0, Lassiter 0, Pineda 0, Pingris 0, Adriano 0.
UPIS (51) – Hallare 23, Tubongbanua 20, Poquiz 2, Gepitan 2, Lugatiman 2, Baldovino 2, Cobico 0, Manguerra 0, Addatu 0, Rosete 0, Labao 0, Repane 0.
Quarterscores: 20-5, 42-24, 58-40, 73-51
