University of the East found a way to stave off elimination in the UAAP Season 88 Junior High School Basketball Tournament, outlasting Far Eastern University-Diliman in double overtime, 98-90, on Saturday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Still on course to defend its crown after improving its record to 8-6 in fifth place, UE’s Final Four hopes now hinge on sixth-placed Ateneo de Manila University pulling off an upset against fourth-placed Adamson University, which has an 8-5 record, Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena at 9:30 a.m.
A win for Ateneo would force a playoff between the defending champion Junior Warriors and the Baby Falcons for the No. 4 seed.
“I’m very happy with the growth of my boys, especially this season,” said UE coach Matthew Sia, a first-year head coach who took over from Andrew Estrella last season. “Sabi ko nga, bigyan lang kaming chance to enter the Final Four, we’re gonna do our best. I believe na kaya naming tapatan anyone sa 16-under. Pinakita ng mga boys today na we beat FEU-D so I’m very happy with their teamwork.”
After splitting his free throws to give the Junior Warriors a slim 92-90 edge with 2:07 left in the second overtime, Goodluck Okebata hit a three-pointer from the left corner to extend the lead to 95-90.
Prince Cariño tried to will FEU-D back into the game but missed his putback attempt, allowing James Mesa to grab a rebound and seal the victory with a floater, building a 97-90 advantage with 48 seconds left.
The win was the perfect response from the Junior Warriors, as it was the Baby Tamaraws who had forced both overtime periods. Dwyne Enriquez’s three with 9.9 seconds left in regulation sent the game to the first overtime, while Kyle Mojica’s basket at 32.1 seconds in the first OT forced the second.
Zion Aguilar, who returned from an injury scare with 32.1 seconds left in the first overtime, led UE with 30 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and three steals.
Okebata contributed 23 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, and two steals, while Mark Perdigon added 21 points and 12 rebounds. Austin Delos Santos also had 10 points for the Junior Warriors.
It was a measure of revenge for UE, which lost to the Baby Tamaraws, 72-68, in the first round on October 19.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
FEU-D’s Enriquez led all scorers with 31 points and nine rebounds, followed by Cariño with 20 points and 20 rebounds. Mojica added 12 points and six rebounds for the third-placed Baby Tamaraws, who are now 9-4.
Meanwhile, seventh-placed University of the Philippines Integrated School closed its campaign with an 86-77 wire-to-wire victory over cellar-dweller De La Salle Zobel in the first game.
The Fighting Maroons looked poised to coast to victory after Zandro Lugatiman’s jumper gave them a 71-55 lead early in the fourth quarter.
However, Don Solis, David Dizon, Elias Meloto, Lorenzo Purugganan, Isaac Purugganan, and John Mindanao spearheaded an 18-7 run that trimmed the deficit to 78-73 with 2:34 remaining.
That was the closest La Salle would get, as Kean Poquiz’s layup and free throw, along with John Addatu’s three-pointer, restored UPIS’ control, stretching the lead to 84-73 with 1:18 left to seal their second win of the tournament.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
“I don’t wanna downplay it and say it didn’t mean much because knowing where our team came from — some of these guys experienced winless seasons in 16U1 last year and 19U,” said Maroons assistant coach Josh Presbitero.
“We started out the season 0-6. For us to get two wins, I think this was a testament to what coach King (Vergeire) and I have been preaching this whole time, which is believing in the process and knowing that the results will come down the road. This definitely feels really good,” added the UPIS alum.
Matt Rosete led the Fighting Maroons with 24 points and 10 rebounds, followed by Addatu’s 20 points and five rebounds. Lugatiman added 18 points, six assists, and five rebounds, while Poquiz contributed 12 points, nine assists, and six rebounds.
UPIS’ starters set the tone with 79 points compared to the Junior Archers’ 55. The Fighting Maroons also shot 11-of-17 from three-point range, while La Salle managed just 7-of-32.
The 2-12 UPIS squad — whose previous win also came against DLSZ, 70-59, on October 19 — snapped a six-game losing streak in which it had lost by an average of 45.33 points, ending the season on a high note.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Lorenzo Purugganan led the 0-13 Junior Archers with 28 points, five rebounds, and two assists, while his brother Isaac added 13 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists.
The Scores
First Game
UPIS (86) – Rosete 24, Addatu 20, Lugatiman 18, Poquiz 12, Labao 5, Manguerra 5, Bautista 2, Baldovino 0.
DLSZ (77) – L. Purugganan 28, I. Purugganan 13, Mindanao 11, Dizon 7, Meloto 5, Asis 5, Solis 4, Quillo 4, Mercado 0, Pangan 0, Sy 0, Delos Reyes 0, Riguera 0.
Quarterscores: 26-20, 47-37, 69-55, 86-77
Second Game
UE (98) – Aguilar 30, Okebata 23, Perdigon 21, Delos Santos 10, Mallabo 8, Mesa 2, Pontipedra 2, Mercado 2, Roxas 0, Felizmenia 0.
FEU-D (90) – Enriquez 31, Cariño 20, Mojica 12, Pineda 9, Cañete 9, Desiderio 6, Mampao 2, Chavez 1, Cruz 0, Daa 0.
Quarterscores: 28-25, 41-45, 65-63, 80-80, 89-89, 98-90
