Apag rises to the occasion in Lady Falcons' semis win over Ateneo

MANILA, Philippines — Heart over obstacles.

Facing an uphill battle against the presumptive back-to-back Most Valuable Player Kacey dela Rosa and the rest of the Ateneo squad, Cheska Apag and the Adamson Lady Falcons mustered enough to outlast the Blue Eagles in the first round of the UAAP Season 87 women’s stepladder semifinals over the weekend. 

On Saturday, Adamson pulled through with a 59-53 victory in overtime against the Blue Eagles, in the former’s first Final Four appearance since Season 82. 

In the forefront of the rally was guard Apag, who hit a jumper with time winding down in regulation to force overtime. 

The diminutive floor general had a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds and came up big for the Lady Falcons who almost had a colossal collapse in regulation.

After the game, Apag said that despite difficulties, they are bent on overcoming odds to grab the victory. 

“It’s all about the heart na talagang gusto namin manalo kahit na mahirap, pero still, we know that we can do it. Buo kami na kaya namin manalo even though despite na lamang sila sa amin, sa amin walang superstar, but still buo kami na willing manalo sa game na ito,” Apag told reporters.

“Yung shot ko,  di ko in-expect yun, as in di ko talaga in-expect na papasok. Siguro narinig din yung panalangin ko na, kahit ito lang, ibigay niya sa amin,” she added.

Ateneo is headlined by dela Rosa and fellow presumptive Mythical Five member Sarah Makanjuola. 

For his part, Adamson head coach Ryan Monteclaro said that the faith he puts in his players paid off. 

He looked back at a shot made by Apag back in the first round against UST, which she missed, and that took a toll on her guard’s confidence. 

“I believe in each and every one of them and she was telling me, 'Coach, huwag sa akin', or 'Bakit sa akin? I keep missing shots.' I was telling her, at the end of the day, the confidence has to be there.” Monteclaro said. 

“Whatever happens, we live and die with that ma-shoot yon, magaling ka, if di mo ma-shoot, I'll take the blame for that,” he added.

The tactician deferred the credit to his players.

“For me, it's not about me. It's about them. That's the hard work. The work that they put in day in and day out. And sabi ko, before the game, God will always provide for those people who work for Him,” he said.

Apag added that it feels great to finally break a “curse” that Adamson is a team that just gets eliminated in the first round of the Final Four. 

“Kaya ako emotional  kasi na break namin yung curse na hanggang final four lang. Kaya din na ako naging emotional kasi grabe din yung effort na pinakita ng teammates ko sa lahat, kahit mga supporters namin,” Apag said.

However, the team will still face the defending champions University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigresses in the next round of the stepladder on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena. — Brent Sagre, intern