Tiger Cubs, Junior Warriors dispute UAAP high school hoops title

Game Friday
(Filoil EcoOil Centre)
10 a.m. – UST vs UE (JHS Finals Game 3)

MANILA, Philippines -- University of Santo Tomas and University of the East slug it out for one last time in a bid to end long championship droughts in Game 3 of the UAAP Season 87 junior high basketball finals Friday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan. 

Game time is at 10 a.m. for the final event of the first semester sports calendar of the country’s premier collegiate league after the culmination of men’s and women’s hoops last weekend.

UP bested La Salle, 66-62, for the men’s crown; while National University beat Santo Tomas, 78-73, to reclaim the women’s tiara in similar three-game series duels — putting the spotlight on the junior dribblers with bigger dreams to fulfill. 

UE is out to capture its first basketball title in 39 years against a UST squad seeking to snap a 23-year drought in high school hoops. 

The Junior Warriors had a near-sweep of the prelims at 13-1 but yielded to the Tiger Cubs in Game 1, 98-84, before pulling off a 76-70 escape act in Game 2 to force a winner-take-all setto.

And UE is not keen on letting the golden opportunity slip away to gift Recto its first crown — high school, men’s or women’s — since Season 48 (1985) during the glory days of legend Allan Caidic following a comeback win, coincidentally, against UST. 

“That’s the motivation — to bring UE another championship,” said UE mentor Andrew Estrella, banking on the troika of Mav Mesina, Neil Garcia and Gab delos Reyes. 

“As I’ve said, huwag tayo susuko. And then we won (in Game 2), so bakit pa natin ibibigay? Ang dami na namin pinaghirapan, both in and out the court. Bakit pa natin ibibigay kung nandito na tayo?”  

But that would be easier said than done, especially with the in-form Tiger Cubs on the way after stunning second-ranked Far Eastern University in the semifinals and snatching Game 1 from the fancied Junior Warriors side. 

Mythical Team member Jhon Canapi along with Miguel Jubilado and Dustin Bathan, who all scored more than 20 points in Game 2, will spearhead UST’s bid with the expected suspension of another Mythical Team player in Andwele Cabañero following his early ejection last match due to a loose ball scuffle.

“Part talaga ng laro ang talo, pero may do-or-die game kaya sobra-sobra ang preparations at adjustments, lalo na sa defense,” said coach Noli Mejos said. 

“Mag-a-adjust ako sa palitan ng players at positioning kasi ang laki ng nawala sa amin — si Cabañero pa. Mananalo kami pag maganda depensa at maging maganda takbo ng plays. Dapat hindi kami magmadali at maging composed lang.”