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| Five straight UAAP titles in the Final Four era. Only in Ateneo. (image from Fabilioh.com) |
It
was a game of goodbyes.
Goodbye
demons.
Goodbye
graduates.
Goodbye
Coach.
Hello
5.
With
under 5 seconds to go, senior starting point guard, Juami Tiongson intercepted
an errant pass from UST shooter Clark Bautista. The pass was meant for the hot
hands of the Tigers’ graduating playmaker, Jeric Fortuna. Juami got his hands
on the ball, stayed inbounds, dribbled a couple of times and then threw it up
in the air.
It
was a simple steal, but it clinched the title. For now, it stands as Juami’s
best John Havlicek moment. Had Fortuna been able to receive Bautista’s pass,
the former Zobel Junior Archer might have been able to launch a desperation
three that would’ve potentially tied the game. Good thing Juami happened – the
guy wearing jersey #5 delivered when it mattered most, and now Ateneans all
over are enjoying an historic #5.
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| Ryan Buenafe (L) and Juami Tiongson (R) made some big plays that sealed the 5-peat for Ateneo. (image from Arvin Lim/Fabilioh.com) |
In
the process, the Eagles did something perhaps just a little more important than
the actual 5-peat – they exorcised the demons of ’06. It was quite intriguing
that the UST Yellow Jackets displayed the line, “Déjà vu 2006,” during their
halftime cheer, only to be thwarted by the Blues’ relentless drive in what
would turn out to be the final two periods of the season.
There
won’t be any déjà vu of ’06. In fact, perhaps save for what’s etched in the
annals of history, this fifth straight title win effectively erases all the
bitterness stemming from that loss. This edition of the Blue Eagles achieved
vengeance for JC Intal, Doug Kramer, and Macky Escalona. The ghosts of Season
69 can now pass on, never again haunting the present.
Coach
Norman Black was spot on when he tagged UST as a title contender this season.
He was also spot on when he said that this time around his players are older
and wiser, unlike the team he handled 6 years ago – a team that, though overloaded
with talent, didn’t really have a lot of championship experience under its
belt.
Coach
Norman and his wards needed every sliver of their experience and poise in Game
2, especially since UST had no plans of simply handing the trophy over on a
silver platter.
Fortuna
was awesome here, his last game for the Black & Gold. He finished with 20
points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block in a scintillating display
of shooting and playmaking prowess. This was his swan song, and he hit all the
right notes. Too bad the same cannot really be said of the rest of his team.
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| Jeric Fortuna saved his best game of the season for his last. (image from FullCourtFresh.com) |
The
only other guy who really played well was former St. Jude superstar Kim Lo, who
scored all 8 of his markers in a searing run that ended the first quarter in
favor of the España crew, 14-13. Lo hit his only two triples of the season in
succession to help the Tigers claw back from a 7-point hole, and he capped his
personal spurt with a lefty lay-up over Justin Chua to end the first canto. Lo,
however, never returned to the floor after halftime.
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| Kim Lo stepped up as UST struggled to find its groove on offense. (image from FullCourtFresh.com) |
Aside
from Lo and Fortuna, though, nobody else really caught fire for Coach Pido
Jarencio. The rest of the UST squad shot just 13-of-52 from the field – a 25%
shooting clip that just didn’t cut it against the defending champs. Jeric Teng
shot 3-of-10, Kevin Ferrer made just 2 of his 7 shots, and Karim Abdul missed
14 of his 18 field goal attempts. Can you already hear those unfounded benta catcalls that inevitably
reverberate after EVERY UAAP Finals series?
It
was just a case of the Tigers having one of their worst shooting days at the
worst possible time. Oh, and they missed 10 of their 17 freebies, too.
Not
that Ateneo fared much better, though. The Eagles, as a team, converted nearly
40% of their field goals, but some of them still struggled. Repeat Finals MVP
Nico Salva, who scored 30 points in Game 1, found the going tough here, making
just 4 of his 11 attempts from the floor. Super sophomore Kiefer Ravena,
despite topping all scorers with 22 markers, didn’t exactly have the best
shooting day, either. He torched UST for 9 quick points in the first period,
but he shot just 3-of-10 the rest of the way.
The
thing with Ateneo, however, and they’ve proven this many times over, is that
they’re never about the percentages. They’re about the moment. They’re about
coming through when it counts the most. For the past four UAAP Finals, nobody
has been better at that, and it rang true in Game 2 again.
After
a Jeric Teng put-back pulled the Tigers within just two points of Ateneo late
in the fourth, Juami Tiongson received the ball at the far right wing. He was
momentarily open for a three, and it would’ve been perfectly justifiable to
take one, but he was composed enough to pump fake, let the close-out defender fly
by, and get nearer for a higher-percentage shot. His running shot with about
1:15 left was good, giving Ateneo some breathing room heading into the dying
moments.
The
game, however, was far from done. Greg Slaughter, who finally had a great game
against UST, split his free throws with 55 seconds to go. Teng returned the
favor by splitting his own charities 7 seconds later. A precarious 4-point lead
with under a minute to go. Still not safe.
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| Greg Slaughter finally had the breakout game he needed versus UST. (image from FullCourtFresh.com) |
And
then, just like in Game 1, Kiefer Ravena rose to the challenge. The Phenom
drove left against a pesky Clark Bautista. Ravena stopped on a dime
Jordanesque-style and let Bautista momentarily slide by. Ravena pulled up, and
sank what appeared to be the dagger shot.
Ateneo
held a 6-point lead with half a minute to play.
Over,
right?
Not
by a long shot.
In
the next play, Jeric Fortuna received the ball from Karim Abdul off a broken
play. Fortuna squared up for a corner trey and drained it. Suddenly, it was
just a one-possession game. Juami was fouled in the next sequence, but he
uncharacteristically muffed both free throws.
UST
ball with 19 ticks to go.
Mauybe
déjà vu was going to happen after all.
But
it didn’t.
Ateneo’s
defense held in the waning moments as they annexed their fifth straight crown.
Phew.
Coach
Norman probably heaved a BIG sigh of relief. After all this time, after all the
ups and downs of his career in collegiate ball, he has done something nobody
else has in the modern era of the UAAP.
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| Coach Norman is in a class all his own after winning his fifth straight title win. (image from Arvin Lim/Fabilioh.com) |
Coach
Norman can hold up all five of his fingers and think not just of goodbye, but
also of five straight championships.
None
of those championships simply given. None shared.
Everything
earned.
When
he attends his final Ateneo bonfire as a member of the champion team, Coach
Norman, along with graduating players Nico Salva, Justin Chua, Oping Sumalinog,
Zags Gonzaga, and Greg Slaughter, will be greeted with cheers. All of them will
be feted with accolades. They will all be installed in legend as vital parts of
this golden era in Ateneo basketball.
And
when the dawn beckons, when all that remains of the bonfire are a few embers,
they will say their final farewells to the Blue & White gallery.
They
will sing the Song for Mary.
They
will begin their journey beyond the UAAP.
They
will leave.
But
they will not be forgotten.
They
will be remembered.
As
Champions.
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| The Blue Eagles revel in another UAAP title for the Ateneo community. (image from Arvin Lim/UAAPSports.tv) |
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| Alumni Eagles Bacon Austria, Emman Monfort, and Kirk Long also flash all their five fingers. (image from Arvin Lim/Fabilioh.com) |
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| The Ateneo crowd sings for Song for Mary in gratitude for the great victory. (image from Arvin Lim/Fabilioh.com) |
AdMU BLUE EAGLES over UST GROWLING
TIGERS, 65-62
ADMU 65 - Ravena
22, Slaughter 15, Tiongson 10, Salva 8, Chua 6, Gonzaga 3, Sumalinog 1, Golla
0, Elorde 0, Buenafe 0
UST 62 - Fortuna
20, Teng 9, Lo 8, Abdul 8, Ferrer 7, Bautista 6, Mariano 4, Vigil 0, Pe 0,
Afuang 0
QS: 13-14, 29-29, 47-46, 65-62
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