Goodluck Okebata rose to the occasion as defending champion University of the East outlasted Ateneo de Manila University, 87-77, to notch its first win in the UAAP Season 88 Junior High School Basketball Tournament on Wednesday morning at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion Arena in Manila.
Determined to bounce back from an opening-day loss to the NU-Nazareth School Bullpups, Okebata — the lone holdover from the Junior Warriors’ Season 87 championship squad — showcased his ability to lead UE’s title defense.
The 6-foot-3 Fil-Nigerian, who hails from Iloilo, delivered a dominant double-double of 24 points and 18 rebounds, along with three blocks and two assists, to fend off the Blue Eagles and counter Sky Jazul’s 28-point outburst.
“Nag-adjust lang din kami coming into this game kasi na-overwhelm kami sa NUNS game. Sabi ko nga sa boys, yung character natin, malalaman yan based sa adjustment sa next game. Buti na lang the boys showed up, especially in the fourth quarter where we adjusted sa game plan ng Ateneo,” said Matthew Sia after securing his first victory as UE’s new head coach.
With the game tied at 73-all and under six minutes to play, UE turned up the pressure.
A Sean Felizmenia triple, back-to-back baskets from Okebata and Austin Delos Santos, and a corner jumper from Felizmenia sparked a decisive 9-0 run that gave the Junior Warriors an 82-73 cushion with 3:03 left.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Ateneo tried to stay alive with consecutive layups from Stef Bernarte and Francis Castro, but Mark Perdigon buried the dagger triple with 31 seconds remaining to seal UE’s bounce-back triumph.
Beyond its late-game surge, UE’s dominance inside proved to be the difference, outscoring Ateneo 54-38 in the paint.
Perdigon finished with 14 points on an efficient 6-of-8 shooting, along with three rebounds and a steal.
Felizmenia chipped in 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal, while James Mesa tallied 12 points and 10 boards.
Juan Mallabo also scored 12 points, and Delos Santos orchestrated the offense with nine points, 10 assists, and four rebounds.
Despite his 28-point, nine-rebound, three-steal, and two-assist effort, Jazul was limited to just five points on 2-of-9 shooting in the fourth quarter. Bernarte supported him with 14 points and five rebounds.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Meanwhile, Adamson University cruised to an 85-50 rout of University of the Philippines Integrated School to grab the early lead in the competition.
Coming off a dominant win against the De La Salle Zobel Junior Archers last Saturday, the Baby Falcons quickly raced to a 44-20 halftime lead and never looked back, handing the Fighting Maroons their second straight defeat.
Adamson’s momentum carried into the final frame, punctuated by a Jacob Maycong midrange jumper that stretched the lead to a game-high 82-39 with 4:08 remaining.
“Nakita naman namin na we’ll still adopt a ‘one game at a time’ mentality. We don’t want to move forward agad. We still have to work on our defense, that I guess will be our main concern for the next games. Medyo nag-falter kami sa defense,” said new head coach Dante Tongco, whose squad is now one win away from matching last season’s three-victory total.
Cebuano guard Fran Flores led the Baby Falcons with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, adding five steals, four assists, three rebounds, and one block.
Keefy Iledan contributed 13 points, eight rebounds, and a steal, while Uno del Monte had a perfect shooting day with 11 points on 5-of-5 from the field alongside four steals.
Edison Jordan added 10 points, six rebounds, and one steal.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
For UPIS, John Addatu kept fighting with 16 points, six rebounds, six steals, and three assists, while Kean Poquiz, despite being limited to 11 points on 2-of-18 shooting with seven turnovers, still managed four rebounds and three steals.
The Scores:
First Game (16U)
UE (87) – Okebata 24, Perdigon 14, Felizmenia 13, Mesa 12, Mallabo 12, Delos Santos 9, Aguilar 2, Mercado 1, Ancheta 0, Pontipedra 0, Roxas 0.
Ateneo (77) – Jazul 28, Bernarte 14, Castro 8, Divinagracia 8, Dela Rosa 7, Ngo 5, Ylen 2, Hwang 2, David 2, G. Yoro 1, M. Yoro 0.
Quarterscores: 16-20, 42-45, 63-66, 87-77
Second Game (16U)
AdU (85) – Flores 17, Iledan 13, Del Monte 11, E. Jordan 10, A. Jordan 9, Padrejuan 6, Esma 4, Maycong 4, Vargas 3, Vengco 3, Abas 3, Adrade 2, Pleyto 0, Mangahas 0, Caintic 0.
UPIS (50) – Addatu 16, Poquiz 11, Manguerra 11, Labao 8, Lugatiman 4, Floriendo 0, Rosete 0, Okebata 0, Baldovino 0.
Quarterscores: 26-12, 44-20, 65-37, 85-50.
