blue skies above green fields (photo source)
three points on the blue eagles' win against green archers in their final four encounter in season 75. in yet another classic encounter between the arch-rivals, the blue eagles weathered a double digit deficit in the fourth quarter to book a finals match-up with the growling tigers - the team that denied coach norman black of what could have been his first championship in the uaap in season 69.
there can only be one phenom (photo source)
1. mythical. kiefer ravena might have missed the mythical five this season due to a tight statistical race, but his 28 points-12 rebounds-7 assists performance can surely be defined in one word: mythical. last season's top rookie and member of the mythical five connected 8-14 from the field, including four three pointers that changed the game for the blue eagles. despite getting plagued by foul trouble in the first three quarters, the "phenom" stepped up in the fourth quarter to ignite a run that snatched this game from upset-seeking la salle. though he would finish the season without an individual award, ravena's eyes remain fixed on the prize: the fifth consecutive championship for the blue eagles and even a personal five-peat for himself, having won three straight titles in high school and nailing one more in his maiden season in college. his task is far from done and i hope he remains reliable and mythical in the championship round.
big shot buenafe (photo source)
2. finisher. just when everyone thought that there would be a knock-out match in a few days, the blue eagles once again did what they do best: coming from behind and getting the win. ravena's heroics in this game showed his ability to take over when his performance matters. despite greg slaughter having a bad game (4 points on 2-9 from the field and 0-3 in the free throw line), other vital cogs in the team like nico salva (12 points on 6-11 shooting) and ryan buenafe (10 points, including that go-ahead three pointer that gave the lead back to ateneo with less than a minute left and two free throws that sealed the game) gave the much needed lift for the blue eagles.
umayos ka, ref (photo source)
the team did not only face a tough la salle team but even horrendous officiating and some underhanded tactics from the other side of the court. the la salle coaching staff contested one of ravena's three pointers that somehow took the momentum away from the blue eagles, who might have taken the game away had greg slaughter competed his three-point play. as assistant jun limpot stormed to the referee to complain, la salle was able to create a time out out of nothing that enabled them to draw a play on that juncture of the game. fortunately, luck was not on their side as the blue eagles managed to hold on to the lead in the dying seconds. officiating will definitely be crucial in the finals, and if the referees let these little things go, it will surely make the up-hill climb tougher for the blue and white.
two more wins (photo source)
3. revenge. the cast is complete for the biggest stage this season, and ateneo is facing a very dangerous opponent in ust for the championship. however, if the blue eagles will perform the way they did in the third quarter and the early goings of the fourth, they will not have a chance against the growling tigers especially if the latter's confidence level shoots up and lady luck begins to smile at them in the game. expect the tigers and their coach pido jarencio to study the blue eagles well and make things difficult for the them in the finals. but then again, this title showdown between ateneo and ust is surely a perfect way to end coach norman black's coaching stint with the blue eagles and in college basketball in general. everything now comes in full circle as he gets into a coaching chess battle with jarencio, who took away the title in season 69 against his heavily-favored team that comprised jc intal, doug kramer, and macky escalona. and what way to avenge that lost championship by salvaging this season's crown at the expense of ust. it won't be a walk in the park as much work has yet to be done heading into the last few games of the season for the blue eagles.
see you in the finals! (photo source)
The scores:
Ateneo 66 – Ravena 28, Salva 12, Buenafe 10, Tiongson 5, Slaughter 4, Chua 4, Sumalinog 3, Pessumal 0, Gonzaga 0, Golla 0, Elorde 0.
DLSU 63 – Andrada 17, Vosotros 14, Teng 12, N. Torres 6, T. Torres 5, Tampus 4, Van Opstal 3, Mendoza 2, Webb 0, Revilla 0.
Quarter Scores: 14-12; 31-26; 38-47; 66-63.
photos from sirs philip sison and erwin cabbab of fabilioh.com
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