 |
| c/o UAAP Media Team |
ETHAN Aguas delivered in the clutch, leading University of the East to a 56-51 victory over De La Salle Zobel and snapping a three-game skid in the UAAP Season 87 High School Boys’ Basketball Tournament on Sunday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Aguas, a 17-year-old, 6-foot-4 forward from Tarlac and a standout from UE’s inaugural 16-and-under team last year, took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 12 of his 16 points to go along with seven rebounds. His heroics helped the Junior Warriors close out a tough first round on a high note.
After suffering a heartbreaking double-overtime loss to FEU-D and a narrow one-point defeat to NUNS, UE salvaged a 3-4 record, tying DLSZ for fifth place at the end of the first round.
“Happy for the win, finally naputol na namin yung losing streak. We’ll take it, a win is a win, masaya na kami doon. We need this win for the second round. If we really want to make it to the Final Four, I think we have to start now,” said second-year Junior Warriors head coach Karl Santos.
Trailing 36-37 at the end of the third quarter, Aguas spearheaded a 16-5 UE run to establish a 52-42 cushion with 3:25 remaining.
DLSZ, however, refused to back down. The trio of Maco Dabao, Kieffer Alas, and Bonn Daja trimmed the deficit to 52-48 with 1:49 left, but Aguas sealed the win with three crucial free throws, giving UE a comfortable 55-48 lead.
Lance Sabroso contributed 10 points, three rebounds, and two assists, while Edry Alejandro added seven points, five rebounds, and two steals in the much-needed win for UE.
The Junior Archers, on the other hand, suffered their third straight defeat, dropping to 3-4 and sharing fifth place with UE.
Alas led DLSZ with a game-high 22 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, and one block but committed five turnovers. Daja chipped in nine points, six rebounds, and two steals.
JC Espinosa added six points, six rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block, while Dabao finished with five points, five assists, six rebounds, and one steal but struggled with six turnovers.
Meanwhile, Ateneo de Manila University finally entered the win column with an 85-73 triumph over the struggling University of the Philippines Integrated School.
Seventeen-year-old center Jay-M Leal powered the Blue Eagles to their first victory under head coach Ford Arao, tallying 25 points on an efficient 9-of-11 shooting, along with five rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and one steal.
Chris Urbina provided ample support with 15 points, nine assists, two rebounds, and one steal, as Ateneo snapped a 12-game losing streak dating back to Season 86.
Despite remaining in seventh place with a 1-6 record, Ateneo finally broke its dry spell in UAAP boys’ basketball, securing its first win since January 7, 2024, when they defeated UPIS 70-55 in the second round of Season 86.
“Masaya kasi first win ko and kailangan namin yung panalo. Pero in general, marami pa kami kailangan gawin. A win is a win, pero hindi ganoon kaganda yung panalo namin, pero we’ll take it,” said Arao.
With the game tied at 53-all after two free throws from Jaime Gomez de Liaño at the 2:27 mark of the third quarter, the Blue Eagles responded with a massive 20-4 run to seize a commanding 73-57 lead with 6:33 left in the game.
Renzo Gatmaitan added 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, along with four rebounds and two steals, while Alfonso Tan sparked Ateneo’s fourth-quarter surge, finishing with 11 points, six assists, three steals, and two rebounds.
UPIS’s struggles continued, closing the first round at 0-7 and remaining at the bottom of the eight-team standings.
The Fighting Maroons have now lost 11 straight games in UAAP boys’ basketball, dating back to January 14, 2024.
Season 86 Rookie of the Year Ethan Egea led the Fighting Maroons with 17 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and two steals, while Rocco Melicor tallied 16 points, five assists, two rebounds, and two steals.
Gomez de Liaño also scored 16 points while grabbing 14 rebounds, dishing out two assists, and recording one steal.
Jhustin Hallare contributed 11 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and two steals, while Bruce Tubongbanua had 11 points, six rebounds, two assists, and one steal in the losing effort.
The Scores:
First Game (Boys):
Ateneo (85) - Leal 25, Urbina 15, Gatmaitan 12, Tan 11, Delos Santos 9, Lagdamen 7, Reyes 5, Lacsamana 1, Aquino 0, Ymasa 0, Asistio 0.
UPIS (73) - Egea 17, Melicor 16, De Liaño 16, Hallare 11, Tubongbanua 11, Uvero 2, Poquiz 0, Coronel 0.
Quarterscores: 19-18, 41-36, 59-55, 85-73.
Second Game (Boys):
UE (56) - Aguas 16, Sabroso 10, Alejandro 7, Almanza 6, Bual 5, Lagat 5, Lorenzo 3, Bana 2, Timbol 2, Diaz 0, Chua 0.
DLSZ (51) - Alas 22, Daja 9, Espinosa 6, Dabao 5, Arejola 4, Borrero 3, Favis 2, Mben 0, Atienza 0, Tailan 0, Reguera 0, Alpapara 0.
Quarterscores: 14-8, 26-22, 36-37, 56-51.
No comments:
Post a Comment