in norman we trust (photo source)
three points on the blue eagles' heart-stopping victory over the tamaraws... in overtime!
1. learn from lebron. it takes four quarters to play basketball, and in case of a tie after regulation, there's five more minutes to decide a winner. though the ateneo blue eagles played flat-footed in the first half, defensive adjustments and a click in the offense paved way for a classic come-from-behind victory against the feu tamaraws. while the tamaraws were shooting as if the basket was the size of the ocean, the blue eagles remained patient and calm to overcome a 13-point halftime lead. if my memory serves me right, come-from-behind victories have been a common sight among ateneo-feu games. in season 72, ateneo came from behind 15 points to beat feu and clinch the top seed in the playoffs (reil cervantes: you the man! hahahaha).
and of course, who wouldn't forget ryan buenafe's heroics in game 2 of the finals last season? in basketball, it's about making shots and defensive stops - especially when it matters.
2. there will be days like this. as always, victory in any sport isn't served in a silver platter. but there will also be days where nothing is falling (case in point: kirk long was 1-8 from the field, 0-6 in 2 point fg%, and an astonishing 0-4 in free throw line) and the basket is the size of a coffee cup (4-14 shooting in the first quarter, and kiefer ravena held scoreless in the first half). there were stretches in this game which reminded me a lot of that season 72 upset to UP, where the fighting maroons shot a dramatic 89% in the fourth quarter while the blue eagles went 5-15 in that period. true enough, there will be days like this, as players can also wake up at the wrong side of the bed. but the boys in blue (well, white in this game) hung tough and finished strong for the win. here's where determination enters: when the going gets tough, the team that gets to make the best adjustments in the shortest possible time wins.
(on the greg slaughter "goaltend": the shot, by the looks of its bounce, had no way of going in, regardless of whether it bounced in the board or not. in filipino, "sa pektus pa lang, alam mo namang di papasok.")
3. lessons can be learned in wins like this. as i mentioned in the blue eagles' first round report card, losing "can also do good for the team as they can learn from their mistakes and make essential adjustments to the system" and provided that "they don't lose on the games that matter the most." but lessons can also be learned in a game as tightly contested as this one - like filling up the slack for a struggling starter (justin chua's 9 points this game was his best outing this season; hope he gets his confidence back), confidence and never complacency in crunchtime (the six point kick from emman monfort's steal to kiefer ravena's two lay-ups), and consistency (nico salva's 18 points - 10 of which came from the fourth quarter and overtime). there will be more "close calls" to hear and more end-of-game situations to address. we're still in the middle of the season and there will be more lessons to be learned for the blue and white. nonetheless, expect the blue eagles to find their groove in their next game against UST.
The Scores:
Ateneo 74 – Salva 18, Ravena 15, Slaughter 14, Chua 9, Monfort 7, Gonzaga 6, Long 3, Austria 2, Tiongson 0, Golla 0
FEU 67 – Garcia 17, Romeo 11, Cruz 10, Ramos 8, Escoto 7, Bringas 6, Tolomia 5, Exciminiano 3, Pogoy 0, Mendoza 0, Knuttel 0
Quarter scoring: 13-21, 25-38, 42-47, 63-63, 74-67
credits to inboundpass and adrian dy (chinoy hoops fan) for the stats
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