Ateneo pulls off repeat 'double'

MANILA, Philippines - Ateneo soared high on two fronts – the Blue Eagles dominating the University of the East Warriors and the Eaglets showing championship poise against the La Salle-Zobel Junior Archers – to complete a UAAP title repeat yesterday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Eagles bounced back from an embarrassing Game Two loss as they turned an expected showdown into a ghastly rout by hammering an outclassed Warriors side with impeccable shooting in Game Three of the men’s basketball finals for a 71-58 romp before 18,851 fans.

Last year’s MVP Rabeh Al-Hussaini capped his five-year stint with Ateneo with another stellar performance, firing 21 points, hauling down 14 rebounds and leading the Eagles to a second straight championship that matched Ateneo’s first feat in 1987-88.

“I couldn’t sleep after our Game Two loss and we all came here today to win,” said Al-Hussaini, who also ran away with the finals MVP honors.

Kiefer Ravena issued two crucial assists as the Eaglets came through with two big plays down the stretch for a 61-56 victory over the Junior Archers in their own winner-take-all match for the UAAP juniors crown. 

Four days after absorbing a 68-88 rout in Game Two, the Eagles went on attack mode in the second quarter and sustained the momentum in the final half to break the game wide open.

So dominating were the Eagles, who took the series opener, 78-71, that they whooped it up with still five minutes remaining in the contest and with a big 20-point lead, 67-47, on a basket by Al-Hussaini.

Ateneo fans from the lower box and ringside spilled into the court to celebrate the victory, the Eagles’ fifth title overall since joining the league 31 years ago.

“I really felt last year that we would have a good team this year considering that we’re having the majority of players coming back,” said Ateneo coach Norman Black. “It’s just a matter of staying focused and honing what we do in winning championships.

“Of course, it’s not always that easy, we’ve just had some struggles in our game, we lost to UP in the middle of the season, we came back and had a very disappointing loss in Game Two. But the really positive about this team is that we handled adversity well, we showed the ability to bounce back,” Black said.

Black said they used the experience of losing the deciding Game Three to UST three years ago.

“They said experience is the best teacher and we went through this in 2006 and there are some of the guys who experienced the loss to UST in 2006. We just explained to those players who weren’t there that it something that you never want to feel again,” said Black.

“I think tonight, we came with more energy and we were more focused in what we have to do,” he added.

For UE head coach Lawrence Chongson to team manager Bong Tan, the players and their fans, the loss was a bitter pill to swallow.

The Warriors hugged each other at their side of the court as the Eagles and their alumni and supporters sang their school hymn, ruing the chance to pull off one of the most improbable title victories in the league.

“We lost to a better team,” said Chongson, fighting back tears.

Back-to-back treys by Jai Reyes gave the Eagles a 48-31 lead following a torrid run by Ateneo.

Reyes, who had a 17-point barrage in Game One, hit another triple late in the third and a jumper early in the final period as the Eagles sat on a 59-41 cushion.

Al-Hussaini made his presence felt early, scoring 13 points in the first half, including 11 in the opening quarter when the Eagles started to stamp their class.

Paul Lee, however, kept the Warriors in the game and scored on a blistering drive off a pair of defenders as UE closed to within 25-28 with a little over six minutes in the period.

But Ryan Buenafe and Eric Salamat took over and sparked a telling a 12-0 run as Ateneo stretched its three-point lead to a 40-25 advantage at the break.

They were never seriously threatened from there.

UAAP notes: The attendance of 18,851 was the biggest the whole UAAP season...Alumni Vice President Noli de Castro, Manila Mayor Fred Lim, Robert Jaworski Sr., Allan Caidic of UE and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, television host Paolo Bediones of Ateneo were among those who watched the do-or-die match...US Ambassador Kristie Kenney was with former Ateneo captain Chris Tiu at ringside...Smart and PLDT chair Manny V. Pangilinan was also in the Big Dome and was flanked by Ateneo president Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, SJ, and Smart Gilas Serbian coach Rajko Toroman.