How SWEEP It Is!

The Ateneo Blue Eaglets have completed their sweep of the elimination round by trouncing a hapless NU Bullpup squad, 87-61. It was pretty much easy pickings for the boys in blue as they practically lead the whole game right from the get go and they never looked back.

7 1/2 minute stop

From the start, you can see that NU was pretty pumped, as they congregated in center court to for some pre-game rallying for the battle ahead. However, the Eaglets were equally ready to meet them head on. You can see from the warm ups that Ateneo was confident coming into today's game. And this confidence translated into a 19-2 run spearheaded by Kiefer Ravena's 11 points (he scored 13 in the first quarter alone) to start of the first quarter. In this period, the Eaglets defense limited NU to two freethrows and zero field goals. NU's first basket came somewhere at the 2:30 mark, and it seemed to have gotten the Bullpup offense going as they scored another 8 as compared to Ateneo's 4 points to bring the lead down to 11, 23-12 in favor of the Eaglets.

Kiefer Ravena stretches for a lay in. Kiefer scored 13 of his 24 points in the first quarter to get the Eaglet offense going.
(Blue Eaglets vs NU - Filoil Arena, August 31, 2010)

four-threes

NU seemed to be getting their offensive momentum and confidence in the second as they were able to keep at pace with the Eaglets in the early stages. However, it proved that it wasn't enough as the outside sniping of junior Josh Gadia kept the Bullpups at bay. Even though he was blocked a couple of times, Josh made 4 three pointers with one even extending the Eaglet lead to 16, the biggest in the half. The quarter ended with a highlight Kiefer Ravena reverse over two NU defenders. At half time, Ateneo was still ahead 42-26.

Josh Gadia hits a three pointer. Josh made four three pointers in the second quarter to keep the NU Bullpups at bay.
(Blue Eaglets vs NU - Filoil Arena, August 31, 2010)

Kiefer Ravena with a spectacular reverse lay-up towards the end of the first half.
(Blue Eaglets vs NU - Filoil Arena, August 31, 2010)

33-large

The third quarter was what finally broke the backs of NU. They scored first with an open lay up by one of the Bullpups. Then Ateneo's big men went to work. Senior Paolo Romero and Freshman Jay Javelosa scored a combined 14 points to lead a 16-5 run by the Eaglets increasing their lead, ADMU 58 NU 31. However, Ateneo wasn't done yet, as Kiefer and Lambert Tenorio continued the onslaught with another 8 points highlighted by a Tenorio three pointer giving Ateneo its largest lead at 33. NU would be able to trim down the lead to 27, but the damage had already been done, Ateneo up 69-42.

Paolo Romero scores off a lay up. Paolo together with freshman Jay Javelosa scored a combined 14 points to help the Eaglets build a 27-point lead midway through the 3rd quarter.
(Blue Eaglets vs NU - Filoil Arena, August 31, 2010)

Jay Javelosa steals the ball from NU at mid-court and takes it straight to the basket.
(Blue Eaglets vs NU - Filoil Arena, August 31, 2010)

14-0 sweep

The final quarter started with Kiefer Ravena trading a couple of baskets with NU players. With the game practically in the bag, Coach Jamike started playing his 2nd and 3rd teams. Even with second stringers playing, Ateneo was still able to keep the lead up. The game ended 87-61, and the 14-0 sweep was complete.

The Eaglets now have a free pass to the finals, a very familiar place for them as they have been there each year since 2006. It will be interesting to watch who will complete the Final Four cast. A playoff is already in the offing for 4th place as FEU defeated DLSZ earlier to give them identical 7-7 records. UST is in a must win on Thursday against Adamson in order to tie NU at 2nd place. If UST wins, another playoff between them and NU will be played to determine who has twice to beat. Three of the four teams mentioned will have to go through a step-ladder format where the loser of the possible UST-NU match-up will face the winner of the FEU-DLSZ playoff.

A lot more basketball will be played in the Juniors Division. For the Blue Eaglets, it's a matter of keeping their momentum up and keeping the rust out. It may be a week or two before they can hit the hard court anew. Two more wins to complete the ultimate sweep. Two more wins to the three-peat.

One Big Fight Eaglets!

Eaglets Outplay Junior Archers, 62-50

The atmosphere in the Filoil Arena was typical of any great rivalry game. The loud beating of the drums, the cheers bellowing from the crowds, the tense feeling in the air, all the elements that describe games played by the greatest rivals in Philippine basketball. And despite a crowd of hundreds (as compared to the thousands who watch the seniors), you knew that a great game was waiting to be played. The Eaglets had already won the first round encounter. For the Junior Archers, it was more than just getting back at Ateneo, it was also ending their 11-game winning streak.

The first quarter started out pretty close. Both teams traded baskets and were tied at 7-all midway through the period. Zobel then went to work on their offense and went on a 8-2 run to end the quarter. The 2 points came from Kiefer Ravena who had limited touches in the period, hampering Ateneo's offense.

Kiefer Ravena drives to the basket.
Despite having limited touches in the first quarter, Kiefer had a good offensive game.
(Blue Eaglets vs DLSZ - Filoil Arena, August 24, 2010)

The second quarter started with Ateneo and La Salle scoring 4 points each. It seemed that the Eaglets couldn't seem to get their offense going so Coach Jamike called for time to get his troops in order. He re-insterted his 1st five to the floor to get the lead back for Ateneo. And they responded by chipping away at the lead a basket at a time. By the end of the half, the Eaglets had gone on a 8-0 run getting Ateneo back on top, 21-19.

Eaglets on the prowl.
Defense still played a key role in Ateneo's win against the Junior Archers.
(Blue Eaglets vs DLSZ - Filoil Arena, August 24, 2010)

In the third quarter, La Salle tried their best to regain the lead, but Ateneo was able to answer each of the offensive runs. Then, with Ateneo still on top, 36-32, Marky Mercado hit a big three pointer that sparked a 8-2 scoring run for the Eaglets. The quarter ended with Ateneo's first double digit lead, 44-34. And it never went back down to single digits after that.

Marky Mercado hits a three pointer.
Marky's shot sparked a 8-2 run, giving the Eaglets comfortable 10 point lead.
(Blue Eaglets vs DLSZ - Filoil Arena, August 24, 2010)

The fourth quarter saw Ateneo little by little exert it's dominance over the Junior Archers. Point by point the Eaglets' lead was increasing. It was highest at 18 when Kiefer hit back to back three pointers and Paolo Romero attacked La Salle's interior defense with a powerful under goal stab. The Junior Archers never recovered as they can only trim down the Eaglets lead to 12. The game ended at 62-50, and Ateneo had gotten their 12th straight victory.

Paolo Romero with a power move to the basket.
Paolo's under goal stab in the fourth quarter gave the Eaglets a big 18 point lead.
(Blue Eaglets vs DLSZ - Filoil Arena, August 24, 2010)

The 12-0 Eaglets have only two more teams in the way of their sweep, FEU and 2nd place NU. With today's win, the Eaglets are already assured of the top spot and twice to beat. Now they focus on the sweep which would give them a huge advantage. If they do get it, they wouldn't have to go through the usual Final Four format and would only play in the best of three finals.

One Big Fight!

Lady Falcons Win Big Against The Lad Eagles

The game was pretty close at the opening period. Ateneo even opened the game with a 5-0 scoring run. However Adamson got their offense going and the quarter ended with the Lady Falcons having a slim 3 point lead, AdU 13 - ADMU 10. The second quarter proved to be the pivotal point in the game for Adamson as they outscored Ateneo, 14-6, to increase their lead to 11. The half ended, AdU 27 - ADMU 16. The Lady Falcons then stepped-up their defense in third quarter. They continually took advantage of Ateneo's errors and missed offensive sets as they increased their lead further to 21 points. The quarter ended with 48-27, in favor of Adamson. The final period was no different, as Adamson continued their defensive pressure. Though Ateneo scored an additional 13 points, it was no match to Adamson's 25. The game ended, AdU 73 - ADMU 40.

The Lady Eagles dropped to 3-6 and are 2 games behind UST. They have 5 more teams to play against, so all is not lost for the Lady Eagles campaign. In their way are cellar dweller UE, NU who has are tied with Ateneo and UST. They will also face more difficult opponents in the form of 3rd place DLSU and 2nd place FEU. It will be a uphill climb for the Lady Eagles, but a chance, no matter how slim, is still a chance.

Go Lady Eagles! One Big Fight!

Val Chua scores off a drop pass by Sarah Mercado. Val top scored for the Lady Eagles with 8 points.
(Lady Eagles vs Adamson - Filoil Arena, August 21, 2010)

Sarah Mercado with a rare open look. Sarah scored 7 points in Ateneo's losing effort against Adamson.
(Lady Eagles vs Adamson - Filoil Arena, August 21, 2010)

Cess Trinidad passes the ball in between two towering Adamson players. The Lady Falcons' defense kicked in the second quarter frustrating the Lady Eagles' offense.
(Lady Eagles vs Adamson - Filoil Arena, August 21, 2010)

Jen Dimaano breaks the Adamson press. Jen scored 4 points for the Lady Eagles.
(Lady Eagles vs Adamson - Filoil Arena, August 21, 2010)

Eaglets Win 11 Straight, Demolishes UP 129-43

The Ateneo Blue Eaglets continued its domination over their Katipunan neighbors as they won their 11th game with the demolition of the UP Junior Maroons, 129-43. It was one of those games that Ateneo was expected to win. And as the regulars in gameface's Blue Eagle's Nest would say, "First quarter pa lang, tapos na ito". And that's just what the Eaglets did.

Jan Resurreccion drives strong to the basket against the much smaller UPIS squad.
(Blue Eaglets vs UPIS - Filoil Arena, August 21, 2010)

The first quarter was played with Ateneo answering UP's baskets with massive scoring runs. The Junior Maroons opened the game with a three pointer which the Eaglets answered back immediately with a 10-0 blast. Then a lay up for UP brought them closer, 10-5 in favor of the AHS. However that was the last that UP scored for the quarter. Ateneo went on a blinding 20-0 run anchored on the Eaglet's defensive pressure. The quarter ended ADMU 30 UP 5. This was done with Ateneo's main offensive threats, Kiefer Ravena, Von Pessumal and Paolo Romero taking turns leading the team on the floor.

The 2nd quarter proved to be the Junior Maroons' best quarter as they scored 16 points. However, this hardly made a dent on the Ateneo offense as the Eaglets answered back with 31. The quarter was highlighted by a fast break play between Kiefer and Von where the two ran the length of the court without dribbling the ball. This gave them a 30 point lead midway through the quarter. The first half ended with a Kiefer Lim three pointer and Ateneo up 61-21.

Jay Javelosa driving straight to the basket after stealing the ball.
(Blue Eaglets vs UPIS - Filoil Arena, August 21, 2010)

In the third quarter, Coach Jamike let loose maybe his strongest 5 with Kiefer, Von and Paolo backed up by Freshman Jay Javelosa and Chuck Dumrique. The 5 opened the quarter with a 11-0 run that was only ended by a 3 pointer by UP's Ancheta. This however was quickly answered back by Ateneo with another 12-0 blast. With Ateneo comfortably ahead 84-24 and with 4 minutes left in the quarter, Coach Jamike sent in his 2nd 5 consisting of Lambert Tenorio, Bolek Vitangcol, Marky Mercado, Jay Sacluti and Mio Puno. This 2nd five continued to wreck havoc on the court as they produced another 11 points for Ateneo compared to UP's 6 point output. The 3rd quarter ended with Ateneo more than doubling UP's output, 95-30.

The final quarter started with Ateneo fielding in their 2nd, 2nd team (as they all performed as well as the previous 5) composed of Jan Reseurreccion, Josh Gadia, Gerard Austria, Kiefer Lim and Mark Gamboa. This team finally brought the Ateneo into the century mark with a 3 by Josh Gadia, 2 minutes in to the quarter. At this point, Ateneo shuffled it's players around experimenting on different team compositions. Despite the changes in the line ups, Ateneo continued to play pressure defense and scored on multiple turnovers by the UP Junior Maroons. The game finally ended with Ateneo with a 86 point lead, 129-43.

Josh Gadia's three pointers continued to increase Ateneo's lead in the fourth quarter.
(Blue Eaglets vs UPIS - Filoil Arena, August 21, 2010)

The Eaglets are now 11-0. The only other team in the entire league with a spotless record are the Adamson Lady Falcons (who beat the Lady Eagles today. More on that in the next entry). The Eaglets are now in the final stretch of the second round. They have 3 more teams (DLSZ, FEU and NU) to get through to complete their sweep. They may have beat these teams with double digit leads, but expect them to have already adjusted their games to match the Blue Eaglets brand of basketball. However, I am sure Coach Jamike and his Blue Eaglets are more than ready to take on the challenges of these teams.

Go Blue Eaglets! One Big Fight!

Eaglets go 10 for 10, defeats Adamson, 79-66

I wasn't able to shoot today's game between the Blue Eaglets and The Baby Falcons. Whenever that happens I usually turn to Facebook for updates. For today's late game, I relied on my good friend and fellow sports shooter Aly Yap for the updates. He usually posts scores per quarter. When I saw the first quarter scores at 22-24 in favor of Adamson, I wasn't too worried yet. Usually the Eaglets don't establish big leads in the first quarter. There have been occasions, like their first round against the Falcons, where the Eaglets were behind. They usually make the proper adjustments in the second quarter and they find themselves comfortably ahead.

After an update that Kiefer Ravena dunked the ball in the game, the next post was that at half time, ADMU was up 44 to 43. Now this worried me a little. Thoughts of peaking too early come to mind. Usually when I watch teams going on streaks, I find myself asking if they have already reached their peak. Are they on the way down? Case in point, the current FEU team. At the of the first round they looked like they would be unstoppable. They gored their way through every opponent that they encountered. However towards the end of the second round their end games didn't seem quite convincing. And by the time they met a vastly improved Adamson Falcon squad, their sweep was swept under the rug. In their next game, they almost lost to UE in regulation, winning it only after an extra 5 mins. Are the Eaglets peaking too early? The third quarter pretty much answered that question.

As I said in my Lady Eagle's entry that basketball is also about adjustments. When I read Aly's next entry, it said something like "the team was scolded for their loose defense". And the scolding did a lot for the team. Next thing I knew, Aly's post read: "hey tightened their defense therefor the lead ballooned to 14, 67-53 end of 3rd". So adjust did the Eaglets. That third quarter run may have well clipped the Baby Falcon's wings. As the final score read 79-66.

So the Eaglets are now 10-0. Only 4 more to get the sweep. But more importantly, they only need to win 2 more games to get the twice to beat in the Final Four. And to assure them of the top spot, they will need to win 3. Their final four games will be against the following:

1. UPIS (Aug 21, 12:30pm)
2. DLSZ (Aug 24, 5:45pm)
3. FEU (Aug 28, 2:15pm)
4. NU (Aug 31, 2:45pm)

3 of the four teams are Final Four contenders. DLSZ and FEU are as of now in a three-way tie with UST for slots 3 and 4. Both teams are dangerous and may give Ateneo a run for it's money. NU is at 2nd place and they are in the best position to beat the Eaglets. UP, though at the bottom of the standings may pull the rug under Ateneo and surprise them.

The Eaglets aren't peaking too early. The coaching staff has conditioned and prepared them well. They still have the chops to win it all. Defense has always been the Eaglets best weapon in their blazing run. They need to remain focused and disciplined in their defense in each game that they play from now on. And who knows, maybe a third consecutive Juniors Trophy may make it to the halls of the AHS campus.

Go Eaglets! One Big Fight!

Lady Eagles Downed by The Lady Maroons, 53-64

Basketball is a game of adjustments. Coaches usually make the proper adjustments in preparation for their next game or in-game as the match develops. Today, the Lady Maroons came prepared. From the get go, the UP ladies set out to win this one. It wasn't that the Lady Eagles weren't out to win it, the Lady Maroons was just better prepared today.

The 1st quarter was close. As every basket was answered by the other team. The quarter ended with UP on top, ADMU 11 - UP 13. It seemed that this game was going down the wire as both teams matched well with each other. The 2nd quarter proved to be the turning point as UP finally got their offense in rhythm as they were able to increase their lead to 7 midway through the quarter, ADMU 18 - UP 25. The ladies in blue tried their best to close the gap to end the half, however UP had an answer to every basket of Ateneo. The half ended with UP still in the lead, ADMU 23 - UP 32.

Sam Ong's scored 17 points, most of them from three point territory. Her timely shots kept the Lady Eagles at striking distance.
(Lady Eagles vs UP - Filoil Arena, August 15, 2010)

The 3rd quarter saw the Lady Maroons keep the Lady Eagles at bay. At certain points of the quarter Ateneo would go on a mini run and be able to close the gap to within 3 points, only to have it snuffed by UP with their own runs. The quarter ended slightly better for Ateneo, ADMU 39 - UP 44.

Val Chua with a short jumper, as the Lady Eagles try to cut the UP deficit in the 3rd quarter.
(Lady Eagles vs UP - Filoil Arena, August 15, 2010)

In the final quarter, the Lady Eagles started out all business. The only problem was, the Lady Maroons were ready for them. Ateneo would again go on runs and close the gaps, but 3 points seemed to be the hump that the Lady Eagles couldn't seem to get past, as Ateneo tried in vain to get back the lead. The game finally ended, ADMU 53 - UP 64.

Mariana Lopa makes a 3-pointer to spark the Lady Eagles' last ditch effort near the end of the game.
(Lady Eagles vs UP - Filoil Arena, August 15, 2010)

*Games between Ateneo and UP have always been emotional, be it in the Men's, Junior's or Women's divisions. What made today's game extra emotional was how the referee's called it. I don't usually complain about how the refs call a game. I usually leave that to the experts. However, today was just too dodgy not to complain. Mind you, I am not complaining because I think Ateneo lost the game because of bad officiating. UP deserve the win. They were better prepared, they scored when it counted and played defense that frustrated the Lady Eagles.

The officiating benefited neither team. Both teams were victimized by such bad officiating. I believe there were more double lane violations called that fouls. It was like each 2nd free throw missed was a sure lane violation. At one point, Coach Joe Silva told the girls not to even enter the shaded area. And the funny thing was, a violation was called against the Lady Eagles! It's bad enough that violations are called because two players of opposing teams enter too early. But to call a violation because no one entered the lane, that's just plain bad officiating. In another instance the same violation was called. The possession arrow pointed towards Ateneo, the barker called Ateneo ball, the UP staff knew that possession was for Ateneo, the whole freaking Filoil Arena knew whose ball it was, except for the refs. They nonchalantly gave the ball to a UP player in the sidelines and started the game. What the?!??! The infuriating thing was, they had to confer with table officials to change their call. L-A-B-O. Come on UAAP, get the referee's acts together!

** Angel Morales of the Lady Eagles suffered a knee injury as she slipped some 3 minutes into the game. The injury happened just when she shot a 3 pointer. Losing her was a big loss to the team as she plays hustle defense and can shoot the lights out. I pray for her speed recovery. One Big Fight Angel!

Eaglets defeat UE, 101-60

In basketball, there are very exciting games and boring ones. The exciting ones are those that go down the wire. You wouldn't know who would win till that last few seconds of the game. The boring ones are those that right from the get go, you'd know who will win. It's all a matter of guessing by how much by the final buzzer. Some love close games. They look forward to how coaches and players would react in pressure packed situations. Others would rather have a boring game where his team is sure to win. They feed of the thrills of the consecutive steals and open looks that the players would get. Blowout games are also much much kinder to the heart.

Kiefer Ravena scored 21 points to lead the Eaglets to their 9th win.
(Blue Eaglets vs UE - Filoil Arena, August 14, 2010)

Today's game between the Ateneo Blue Eaglets and the UE Junior Warriors (didn't they used to be called Pages?) was of the boring type. At the first quarter, UE seemed to be keeping at pace with Ateneo as they kept the deficit within single digits, 21-12 in favor of the Blue Eaglets.

Von Pessumal played a great all around game. He is shown here driving hard to the basket against UE's center.
(Blue Eaglets vs UE - Filoil Arena, August 14, 2010)

At the second quarter though, Ateneo turned up their defense and proved once more that their defense is one of the best in the league. UE hardly any chance to bring the ball down as Ateneo's full court press continually forced the Junior Warriors to give the ball up multiple times. This gave Ateneo multiple scoring opportunities off UE turn overs. By the end of the first half, Ateneo's lead had ballooned to 25, Ateneo 51, UE 26.

Lambert Tenorio scoring off a turn over by UE.
(Blue Eaglets vs UE - Filoil Arena, August 14, 2010)

The third and fourth quarter was no different as Ateneo continued to put pressure on the UE guards. Midway through the third, Ateneo had a 40 point lead, 70-30. With the Blue Eaglets comfortably ahead, Coach Jamike pulled out his veterans and played an all-rookie team. At first, it seemed that UE was going to make a run to cut the lead with consecutive three point shots. However, Ateneo's rookies were able to keep their composure and bring the lead back to 40 multiple times. The game ended with Ateneo scoring over 100 points anew, 101-60. Ateneo is now 9-0. Go Ateneo!

One Big Fight!

Quick Post - Blue Eaglets def. UST Tiger Cubs

Round two of the juniors competition started today. Ateneo had a game against UST at 5pm today. After every game Von Pessumal usually has a simple message on his facebook status. This evening it simply read "8". For those who know Von, this means they are now 8-0. I immediately searched for updates and found out that it was a close game between the two teams. I couldn't comment on how it was played because I wasn't there to shoot today (I do have a day job), but based on the conversations on gameface.ph, it went down the wire (again!), ADMU 60 - UST 57.

Now that these teams have played two close games, as a Blue Eaglet fan, I wouldn't want to meet UST in the Final Four. Last year we were in a similar situation but with roles reversed. In Season 72, UST had beaten Ateneo twice in the elimination rounds. It seemed like a daunting task for the Eaglets as they finished at 3rd place, having to beat a team twice that had beat them twice before. Ateneo made the proper adjustments and the rest was history. I'm sure if the two teams meet in the Final Four, the Tiger Cubs would like nothing more than get back at the Eaglets.

But I may be getting ahead of myself. It is still too early to predict the final standings as 6 more games need to be played. A lot can happen in 6 games. However, if these two teams do meet again in the Final Four or the Finals, expect it to go down the wire every game. And expect the Blue Eaglets to be ready, as always.

Go Eaglets! One Big Fight!

Lady Eagles at 3-4

From goAteneo.com's Facebook page:

"The Ladies from Loyola Heights end their first round of basketball with a win against their neighbors from Diliman 64-61."

That would mean that the Lady Eagles has a 3-4 win-loss record at the end of the first round, that puts the team at 5th place. La Salle and UST are battling for 3rd place both with identical 4-2 records. They too had a game today, but I couldn't find any updates on that game (will update later on). The interesting battle is for 1st place on Thursday, August 12 with FEU and Adamson both having zero loses in 6 games. The bottom 3 comprise UE (0-6), NU (1-5) and UP (1-6). UE has a chance for their first win when they go against the NU Lady Bulldogs also on Thursday.

From the looks of it, the Lady Eagles are within striking distance for that 4th slot which will be held by either La Salle or UST. Both 1st round games between these two teams were pretty close ones (vs UST 66-72, vs DLSU 60-64) with Ateneo even leading at some points of the game. If the Lady Eagles can repeat over the bottom teams and find a way to finish well against these two, the team may be back in the final four. This will definitely be an exciting 2nd round that I am looking forward to.

Good luck Ladies! One Big Fight!

Losing with Grace - The Lady Eagles vs The Lady Archers

Way back when I was in college, the only thing that mattered in Ateneo Basketball was to beat La Salle. The Eagles back then wasn't a championship caliber team. Not as bad as the UP Maroons as of late (I still believe they will pull one off this season), but more like the NU teams of past years. Those were the dark ages. Any win by that team was like winning a big game, and a win against the Archers was like winning the championship.

Today was a similar situation. With a team that isn't a powerhouse like FEU or Adamson, I was expecting them to have a difficult time getting past an athletic and tall Lady Archer team. A win though would boost the Lady Eagles' confidence to a higher level. At the get go, the Lady Eagles went out running, scoring 2 quick baskets gaining a 4-2 lead. But a 15-3 run by the Lady Archers seemed to have broken the Lady Eagles early in the game. With sniping by the La Salle guards and the inside presence of center Kady Wilson, the Lady Archers had a ten point lead over the Lady Eagles, 17-7. The second quarter was no different. La Salle's stifling defense limited the Lady Eagles' output to only 12 points as compared to their own 17, increasing their lead to 15 by the end of the first half, DLSU 34 - ADMU 19.

Allysa Dogong with a reverse layup
(Lady Eagles vs DLSU - Filoil Arena, August 7, 2010)

All seemed lost for the Lady Eagles. Their own outside shooting was hardly clicking, their inside game derailed by Wilson, they were hard pressed for answers. And their answer came in the form of their rookie, Allysa Dogong and main point guard Jen Dimaano. Finally, the Lady Eagles offense started clicking. The two guards drove fearlessly to the basket and their outside shooting finally went into high gear. Allysa had her own highlight as she drove to the basket for a spectacular reverse over La Salle center Wilson. A final drive by center Val Chua closed the gap to just 8 at end of the quarter, 43-35 in favor of the Lady Archers. By the fourth, the Lady Archers seemed to be back in control of the game as they were able to answer each basket the Lady Eagles scored. However by the 3 minute mark, Ateneo made their move. A 7-o blast, highlighted by a Jen Dimaano drive over Wilson's outstretched arm, tied the game at 49. Ateneo had numerous scoring opportunities to put the game away in regulation, however these did not pan out as the game went into overtime.

Jen Dimaano vs Kady Wilson
(Lady Eagles vs DLSU - Filoil Arena, August 7, 2010)

At the start of the overtime period, the Lady Eagles seemed to have the game in control as they went on a 9-2 run. Ateneo on top by 7, 58-51 with roughly 3 mins to go. However, it was La Salle's turn to turn on the heat as they unleashed a blistering 10-2 run of their own to wrest the lead back, 60-61. Through a series of offensive miscues and unforced errors, the Lady Eagles failed to score in their next possession. With 30 seconds left, a defensive stop by Ateneo would bring the ball back to their court with time to spare for another play. As time winded down in the Lady Archer shot clock, rookie Piatos found herself open at the top of the key for a booming three pointer, DLSU 64-ADMU 60. Ateneo was unable to score in their last possession.

It was a sad loss. Sometimes I think to myself, which is worse, a blowout defeat or a close overtime loss? This particular defeat is very hard to swallow because of two things. Ateneo could have won it and that it was against La Salle. However, after the game, I felt different about this loss. I was proud to have been there to watch it. If you look at where the team is at right now: a new coaching staff, new players and a new system, today's game only shows how good this team really is and how great they can be. Most teams who face a 15 point deficit at half time would just give up. Most fans would already be think of a loss by that time. But that is not how Lady Eagle Basketball is played and that is not how fans of these ladies are. They play and cheer till the last second, win or lose.

Season 73 Lady Eagles
(Lady Eagles vs DLSU - Filoil Arena, August 7, 2010)

So to answer my question, I'd rather watch a loss in overtime, knowing full well that my team fought to the bitter end.

One Big Fight!

*Sarah Mercado also played a great game, despite nursing a shoulder injury. She wasn't able to finish the game.

The Eaglets are 7-0

I've been watching the Blue Eaglets since I started shooting in 2005. Well, to be honest, I watched their final game in 2005 when they lost the UPIS in the Final Four. Since then I've followed their campaigns and have seen them win and lose year in and year out. The great thing about it is that in each year after that, they made it to the finals. Their record in the last 4 championships have been 3-1, losing in 2007 to DLSZ who was coming back after serving their suspension (well, okay, their elder brother's suspension).

In the entire UAAP juniors division, the team has the most if not the only championship experience with Kiefer playing in 3 series and Chucky, Lambert, Von and Pao Romero playing in 2. All have experienced winning a championship. So they know how it is to win one. It's also good that the best player in the team knows how to lose one, as Kiefer was in the Season 70 team that lost to DLSZ.

They are now at 7-0. If you base everything on just looking at the past 7 games, their strongest competitor would be UST. They are the only team that the Eaglets didn't beat by double digits (UST lost by 4). They have Kevin Ferrer who is a do-it-all player. He can dribble, work for points inside and easily bring it beyond the arc. And he has a support shooter in Sarcia, a surprise player who drained too many threes that kept the Eaglets from blowing the game wide open. These are the two to watch in their next encounter, well aside from Rolly Manlapaz calling out UST's player Goo(ooooooooooo)h.

The other team I am wary of are the Bullpups. They are the most improved team this year. From a 1-6 first round to 5-2 this year. If that's not improvement, I don't know what is. Their only blowout loss was against the Eaglets. The other loss was to FEU-Fern. They are tied at second with UST. Their renewed offense may take them to the end this year.

I don't usually make predictions. But here's my wish list Final Four in the Juniors Division of the UAAP. This is based solely on how I watched them play in the short time I wait before Eaglet games:

1 - Ateneo
2 - NU
3 - UST
4 - Adamson

2 and 3 can actually go either way between UST and NU. I chose NU because I wanted them to get something out of their new and improved "bite". 4 can go to any of three teams, Adamson, FEU-Fern and DLSZ. Why Adamson? Aside from wanting to see Hector in a Final Four match, I liked how they played the Eaglets in the first round. It would lead to a fun Final Four encounter.

The Season 73 Eaglets (Blue Eaglets vs UE - - Filoil Arena, July 17, 2010)

So Ateneo has swept 50% of it's games so far. At this point a sweep would just be icing on the cake. I wouldn't really pray for a sweep. History has shown how sweeping teams tend to be rusty at the finals (2006 Juniors and UE in 2007). I'd still pray for the ultimate prize, because that's what the team would want in the first place. A sweep is nothing without the prize in the end. I believe with our crop of championship veterans and high potential newbies, we may well see a three peat in the making. So what do I expect? The same old, Blue Eaglet Basketball: hustle on defense, focus on team work and relentless discipline. And of course, nothing less than One Big Fight!

7 more games in the elims to be played... and if all goes well, 1 more in the Final Four and 2 in the Championship.

Go Ateneo!

Battle of Katipunan - Juniors Edition

Aside from the rivalry between Ateneo and La Salle, the Battle of Katipunan has always been equally fun to watch. Though Ateneo has been in better form as of late, UP seems to always bring their A game whenever they face the Blue and White. If I remember correctly, the last time the Ateneo HS lost to UPIS was in 2007 when Joel Tolentino and Sam Marata still wore maroon jerseys (they are now with the Green Archers). Previous to that was a game I did witness. When a Miggy Maniego led Junior Maroons edged out the Eaglet squad for the right to face the Junior Archers in the finals. The Junior Archers won their first UAAP Championship that year. Aside from those two games, I have never seen UPIS even come close to beating the Blue Eaglets.

Last Saturday's game was like any other Blue Eaglet - Junior Maroon game - total domination. I arrived at the venue at the end of the first quarter with the score at 29-12 in favor of Ateneo. It wasn't much as I expected the team to be leading by a larger amount by that time. But the second period was a totally different story, as Coach Jamike let loose his boys on defense. By the end of the period, Ateneo scored an addition 30 points against UPIS' 5, bringing the half time score to 59-17.

#8 Marky Mercado has adjusted well to the Blue Eaglets tight defensive patterns.
(Blue Eaglets vs UPIS - Filoil Arena, July 31, 2010)

Blowout games, though boring, have a positive side to them, at least to the team that leads. It gives sparingly used players and rookies to get some needed exposure in actual games. And in this particular game, I believe Coach Jamkie used all his players. Even when using 2nd and 3rd stringers, the Blue Eaglets were able to maintain their dominance over UPIS as the ballooned to 52 by the end of the third. And the rampaging Eaglets finished the game with a 101-45 victory.

#5 Mark Gamboa contributed 8 points to help the Eaglets carve out a blowout victory over the UPIS Fighting Junior Maroons.

(Blue Eaglets vs UPIS - Filoil Arena, July 31, 2010)

The game left the Junior Maroons with a similar win-loss slate with their elder brothers at zero wins. One can't help but feel for UP and hope they win one in the long run. For the Eaglets, it is their 6th win in as many matches with only the Junior Archers in their way of a perfect first round. DLSZ is at 3-3 at the moment, but would love to give Ateneo their first loss of the season. But if I know anything about Coach Jamike and his coaching staff is that they wouldn't take any game against any team lightly.

Sparingly used #14 Jan Resurreccion played quality minutes in offense and defense.
(Blue Eaglets vs UPIS - Filoil Arena, July 31, 2010)

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