slaughter slams it home (photo source)
three points on the blue eagles' 12th straight victory over the growling tigers and a ticket to their fourth straight uaap basketball finals
angry eagle knocks down the tower (photo source)
1. lucky. the blue eagles have to consider themselves lucky to avert a meltdown in the end-game against the growling tigers. with a 10 point lead with a little more than 3 minutes left in the game, all hell broke loose as the growling tigers started hitting threes that they missed throughout the game. despite greg slaughter's absence in the last few seconds of the game due to cramps and kiefer ravena obviously gasping for breath in the end, the blue eagles were able to weather the storm with free throws from justin chua and nico salva in the closing seconds. what was disturbing was the fact that ateneo's lead ballooned up to 15 only to find the team groping for form in the dying seconds. what was earlier predicted as a walk in the park almost turned into a nightmare. some might say the breaks of the game pulled the blue eagles through, but the team can't rely on them at all times - especially with the championship close at hand.
WALA! (photo source)
2. a little too late. yes, a win is a win, but the shaky moments in the end-game kept everyone hanging at the edge of their seats. consider these "what ifs": what if those two wild outlet passes from jeric fortuna led to conversions for the yellow and white? what if jeric teng made at least one of his open looks in the three-point area? what is ust made more than four out of their eleven missed free throws? what if kevin ferrer exploited his mismatch against ravena a little earlier in the game? worse, what if fortuna made his final shot to send this game into overtime with our key players logging heavy minutes in the game? unfortunately for them and fortunately for us, these scenarios remain and will continue to remain as "what ifs". ateneo must learn to sustain its attack in the concluding stretches of the game - a crucial facet in their game play that they have displayed in their three previous championship runs. the blue eagles were lucky (again) to have the clock on their side as the tigers growled a little too late back to the game.
time to add another one (photo source)
3. it's not over. the blue eagles will be waiting for their opponent in the finals, which will start on september 24. with feu extending their series against adamson to a rubber match this coming sunday, the road to ateneo's 4th consecutive championship just got a bit more exciting. the last slot will be up for grabs between the tamaraws and the falcons - the former almost beating the blue eagles in the second round and the latter putting ateneo's "sweep dreams" to a rude awakening last sunday. each team has its own strengths and stories to tell: the tamaraws are seeking their return to the top of the food chain after years of frustration in the final four, while the falcons are trying to clinch their first title since 1977 with a team that is formidable enough to do so. both teams though have an interesting sub-plot to their story line: this season is their best chance to win the championship; otherwise they will have to wait a little longer to return to the last dance. in any case, the ateneo blue eagles will come prepared and ready for whoever wins on sunday. behind the two remaining games to win will be hard-fought games, intense practices, and tremendous preparations. the quest for 4 is not over 'til it's over.
ONE BIG FIGHT!
BLUE EAGLE, THE KING!
The scores:
Ateneo 69 – Slaughter 17, Ravena 13, Salva 12, Chua 9, Tiongson 5, Gonzaga 5, Monfort 4, Long 4, Golla 0, Austria 0
UST 66 – Abdul 16, Camus 13, Teng 11, Ferrer 10, Fortuna 8, Afuang 5, Tan 3, Sheriff 0, Pe 0, Lo 0, Ungria 0
Quarter scoring: 18-18, 38-30, 52-40, 69-66
credits to inboundpass and adrian dy (chinoy hoops fan) for the stats
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