1. fatigue factor - while the san sebastian stags should be the more "tired" team due to their participation in the sweet 16 of the pccl, the ateneo blue eagles looked like the more tired team this game. with most of the players coming late to the playing venue and with the pre-xmas break "hell week" breaking loose on school, the blue eagles' flight was clearly hampered. kiefer ravena only made one field goal (he finished with 8 points) while nico salva only made 2 (he ended with 5 points). the stags also found a way to make greg slaughter a non-factor in this series. kirk long and juami tiongson (11 points each) though stepped up for their fatigued teammates. nonetheless, no matter what the excuse is, a loss is a loss.
2. hungrier - the stags were clearly the hungrier team in this league. out to prove that they are the best team in the land, the stags played with more grits, guts, and gusto in the final game of the championship. calvin abueva was in his beastly self with fantasy-yummy 20 points and 20 rebounds, while newly-crowned pccl mvp ian sanggalang had 19 points and 15 rebounds for the stags, who also got ample help from anthony del rio (10 points, including two "pamatay-sunog" threes to quell ateneo's runs) and comebacking jonathan semira who buried a 3 pointer to keep the blue eagles at bay. san sebastian's 2-3 zone kept coach norman black and the ateneo 5 guessing on court, while abueva went barreling his way in the shaded area and even hit a three that ended ateneo's hopes for a pccl three-peat. their hunger and intensity just made them the first non-uaap team to win the pccl championship.
3. well-deserved rest - the blue eagles have been playing team basketball since march this year, starting with the fil-oil pre-season cup, their trainings abroad, the uaap, university games, sea games, and the pccl. of course, we have been used to see them win and stomp their class over their foes, but they just can't win it all. throughout the four championship years of the blue eagles, they have not won them all, especially in pre and post season tournaments. in 2008, they lost to the la salle green archers in the pccl, they did not qualify for the fil-oil pre-season championship in 2009, and they lost the university games championship to the nu bulldogs in 2010. a win could have been a perfect end to a gold-laced 2011, but the boys need a well-deserved break. they are bound to go to hong kong today as part of the perks for winning their fourth consecutive uaap title, and they have until march to focus on their studies and rest their tired bodies in preparation for another busy college basketball season. with greg slaughter playing his final year of eligibility next year together with the likes of nico salva, justin chua, tonino gonzaga, and oping sumalinog, the inclusion of nico elorde, and hopefully the return of ryan buenafe in the line-up, the blue eagles are primed to take 2012 by storm. for now, they have to enjoy the holidays and take that well-deserved break for all their efforts this year.
The scores:
San Sebastian 73 – Abueva 20, Sangalang 19, del Rio 10, Vitug 9, Miranda 6, Maiquez 4, Semira 3, Jo. dela Cruz 2
Ateneo 67 – Long 11, Tiongson 11, Slaughter 10, Erram 9, Monfort 8, Ravena 7, Salva 5, Sumalinog 3, Gonzaga 3, Golla 0, Chua 0, Austria 0
Quarter scoring: 17-16, 36-29, 57-49, 73-67
credits to inboundpass and adrian dy (chinoy hoops fan) for the stats
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