By: Leiniel Santos
Four months after their championship run in the UAAP Season 87 Junior High School Basketball Tournament, University of the East once again faced off against University of Santo Tomas.
And once again, the outcome was in their favor.
The Junior Warriors held off a gritty challenge from the Junior Tiger Cubs to clinch the Manila Live-NBTC 16-and-under boys’ tournament title with a 73–69 victory on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Back in December, UE defeated UST in the UAAP finals to become the inaugural regular-season champions in the juniors division.
Unlike their dominant 78–47 win in Game 3 of the UAAP Finals, this rematch proved to be a much tighter contest.
In the final minute, UE’s Enrico Bungar was called for an unsportsmanlike foul, sending UST’s Jhon Canapi to the line. He calmly knocked down both free throws to tie the game at 66-all.
Riding the momentum, Canapi drained a clutch triple to give the Tiger Cubs a 69–66 lead.
But UE refused to fold.
Ethan Aguas responded with a personal 7-0 run to wrestle the lead back and ultimately seal the win for the Junior Red Warriors.
“Natuto kami na i-handle ‘yung sarili namin sa pressure na binibigay ni coach, and parang sinasabi nila na i-take ‘yun as a challenge,” said Aguas, who wasn’t part of the UAAP juniors roster as he had already moved up to the boys’ team.
Aguas delivered a double-double of 15 points, 13 rebounds, and an assist—finishing as UE’s second-leading scorer.
Sizco Roquid led the charge for UE with an all-around performance of 17 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Despite four players scoring in double figures for UST, the Tiger Cubs came up short once again.
Andwele Cabanero—who missed Game 3 of the UAAP Finals due to a suspension stemming from two unsportsmanlike fouls in Game 2—tallied 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Tomas Cruz posted his own double-double of 15 points and 15 rebounds, along with two assists. Canapi added 14 points and 3 boards, while Lorenz Cinco chipped in 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Earlier in the day, San Anton pulled off a thrilling comeback to defeat Above Limits Athletics, 73–72, in the under-14 division championship match.
San Anton trailed for most of the match but erupted for a massive 31-point fourth quarter, outscoring Above Limits’ 17-point output to snatch the win.
Kurt Binetez put on a show with 31 points to lead San Anton’s late-game surge, while Riley Dela Cruz supported him with 14 points.
On the other end, Above Limits leaned on Goodluck Okebata—also a UE standout—who dropped 25 points. Von Dalangin added 20 markers in the losing effort.
