Warriors back in winners’ circle

Finally, the UE Warriors are champions once more.

Drawing huge games from James Yap and Ronald Tubid, the Warriors survived the ejection of their coach Boyzie Zamar as they outlasted the Ateneo Eagles, 88-85, yesterday to top the UAAP-NCAA Benefit Games at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Tubid took care of things in the first 30 minutes with 21 points while Yap stepped up down the stretch, erupting for seven of his 19 makers, including three foul shots that sealed the win for the Warriors.

It was the first crown for UE since winning the UAAP title in 1986.

"We’ve paid our dues and we’re just starting to reap the fruits of our hard labor," said Zamar, who also praised his boys for holding their ground despite his ejection midway in the third quarter due to two technical fouls.

The Bantay Bata 163 Cup may not be as prestigious as the UAAP title, but at least for a little while it erased the stigma of UE’s back-to-back losses to Ateneo in the Final Four last month.

After trailing by as many as 20 points, the Eagles slowly clawed back and booming treys by Larry Fonacier in the final period ignited a blistering run that tied the count at 85-all with 55 seconds to go.

UE assistant mentor D’Jalma Arnedo, calling the shots in the absence of Zamar, fielded Yap back to deliver the blows that broke the backs of the Eagles.

"Alam ko si James Yap ang panapat sa late rally ng Ateneo kaya I’m not surprised when he hit those crucial shots," said Arnedo.

Joel Banal, for his part, credited his boys for fighting hard despite their busy schedules.

"I’m proud of my boys especially my starters. They’re just dead tired not only from playing basketball but from their many TV guestings lately," said Banal, whose Ateneo squad has filed a leave of absence for one conference in the PBL.