Junior Tamaraws' record buster is week's best

MANILA, Philippines - Terrence Romeo showed that even as a rookie player for last year’s runner up Far Eastern U-Nicanor Reyes Educational Foundation (FERN), he can also post a stirring performance in the 72nd UAAP juniors basketball tournament.

Romeo stamped a new league scoring record after burying 83 points in the Baby Tamaraws’ 104-55 victory against University of the Philippines Integrated School Junior Fighting Maroons last Tuesday to earn the UAAP Press Corps Accel-Fil-Oil Player of the Week honors.

Romeo, a transferee from the Letran Squires, erased the old record of 69 points registered by Paolo Mendoza in the mid-90’s while playing for the Junior Maroons and even topped his previous high of 45 points when FEU-FERN thrashed Adamson Baby Falcons, 74-58, in the season opener.

He drained 29 of his 42 two-point field goal attempts, connected five of his 22 tries in the three-point arc and nailed 10 of his 13 free throws.

Romeo, who played for 31 minutes before fouling out, had a quarter scoring of 19, 11, 33 and 20.

Baby Tamaraws coach Horacio Lim, whose wards tote a 6-4 slate and remain a strong contender for a Final Four slot, said that he encouraged Romeo, the leading juniors MVP candidate, to shatter the old record.

“When he made 30 points in the first half, I told Romeo to go for the record,” said Lim, who even let Romeo score all of FEU’s points in the third period.

Romeo edged the likes of senior division players Miguel Reyes of the University of the Philippines, Ateneo’s Kirk Long and Pari Llagas of the University of the East for the weekly plum given by a group of sports reporters from the country’s leading broadsheets and tabloids covering the league.