When he left the press room, 15-year-old guard Zion Aguilar was heard singing the iconic line from Bamboo’s hit song “Hallelujah”: “Hanggang ako’y humihinga, may pag-asa pa.”
It was a fitting anthem for a night in which he poured in 30 points, propelling defending champion University of the East to stay alive in the UAAP Season 88 Junior High School Basketball Tournament.
The song served as the perfect soundtrack for the Junior Warriors’ thrilling 98-90 double overtime win against the Final Four-bound Far Eastern University-Diliman Baby Tamaraws, powered by Aguilar’s relentless scoring and refusal to yield even as fatigue and pressure mounted.
The first overtime brought a scare to the SMART Araneta Coliseum when Aguilar’s right foot awkwardly landed on FEU-D’s Prince Pineda, forcing the Panghulo, Malabon resident to be stretchered off the court.
What initially appeared to be a serious injury, however, proved less severe than feared.
Minutes after sealing the crucial victory, Aguilar walked into the press conference on his own, beaming with pride as his heroics helped UE stave off elimination.
“Sobrang importante ng laro namin na ito,” Aguilar said after finishing with a near triple-double: 30 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, along with three steals and one block.
“Hindi ko rin in-eexpect na mag-30 points ako, kaya nagpapasalamat ako kay Lord na binigay niya sa amin itong laro na ito.”
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Thanks to Aguilar’s all-around performance, the Junior Warriors remain on track to defend their crown, ending the elimination round with an 8-6 record.
However, UE’s postseason hopes now hinge on sixth-placed Ateneo de Manila University pulling off a shocker against fourth-placed Adamson University (8-5) tomorrow morning at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
A Blue Eagles victory would force a playoff between the Junior Warriors and the Baby Falcons for the last Final Four spot and the fourth seed.
Even if this turns out to be UE’s final game of the season, Aguilar considers his first UAAP stint a success, taking the tournament as proof that the 5-foot-10 guard can compete with elite high school talents such as FEU-D’s Prince Carino, National University Nazareth School’s Moussa Diakite, and University of Santo Tomas’ pint-sized point guard Rowie Cabanero.
“Yung mga ginagawa ko sa training, in-aapply ko lang sa laro. Tsaka lagi lang din ako nag-eextra work, and dito, napatunayan ko na kaya ko makipagsabayan,” Aguilar said.
Junior Warriors head coach Matt Sia echoed Aguilar’s sentiments, noting that UE’s young core demonstrated in the highly competitive UAAP 16-and-under field that it can hold its own—even with MVP frontrunner Goodluck Okebata as the team’s lone holdover from last season’s title run.
“Nag-usap din kami yesterday, sinabi ko na bigyan nila yung sarili nila ng rason para gumising [ng Sunday] at maging excited kasi wala na nga sa control namin,” said Sia.
“But, I am very happy sa last game na pinakita namin kasi ito yung pruweba na kaya namin kasi lahat dito either 2010 or 2011 born. We’re very intact pa rin. It’s gonna help us, even sa next [season], if ever hindi makapasok, it will help us to grow to a stronger team pa and as a unit.”
