Blue Eaglets beat Junior Olympians

Rebound Action

The Four-peat seeking Ateneo Blue Eaglets shook off opening quarter jitters and then finally caught up on the STI College Junior Olympians to score an 89 - 81 win. New center Chris Porter took care of the inside while incoming senior Kiefer Lim took care of the outside as the debut of Coach Joe Silva seemed pointed to the right direction. The Blue Eaglets paraded a cast of new faces and even played some incoming freshmen to show that they are ready to defend their UAAP title for the third time to get a fourth straight title to match the 1983-1986 romp of the Blue Eaglets.

Eagles on the offensive

Former SBP campaigners Matthew Nieto, Michael Nieto, Martin Mendoza, Enzo Joson also got some playing time and did not disappoint as the veterans guided them against the hard-nosed defense of the Junior Olympians. The Blue Eaglets played minus Lambert Tenorio, Mark Gamboa and Gerard Austria but got good games from Gabe Capacio and Kiefer Lim plus some contributions from the new kids.

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The Junior Olympians started the quarter with a 16 - 8 lead as the Blue Eaglets played tentatively. The Junior Olympians relied on their guards to stymie the Blue Eaglets offense. Point guards Macky Delorino and Vince Amparo showcased their ball handling wizardry while Erven Silverie and Eric Sanchez attacked the basket consistently. Big men Arjay Napenas and John Parinas had their share of points inside the paint to showcase the balanced attack by the Junior Olympians. Other notable contributors for the Olympians were Raffy Rebugio and John Baquiran.

The two Nietos on the court

Chris Porter and Tomas Ramos stamped their class inside the shaded lane while Kiefer Lim sank three three pointers. The Blue Eaglets also threw a defensive jacket on the Junior Olympians as UAAP juniors Champs surged ahead by 15 in the opening of the fourth quarter. The Junior Olympians fought back by matching the defensive intensity of the Blue Eaglets and this led to baskets by Rebugio, Napenas and Silverie, their efforts cut the Blue Eaglets lead to only six points with three minutes left. This prompted Coach Joe Silva to bring in Chris Porter back who continued his unstoppable romp inside the shaded lane to seal the win for the Blue & White.

Vince Amparo gets the rebound

THE SCORES

ATENEO (89)

Ramos 20, Asuncion 19, Porter 17, Lim 11, Asistio 7, Mi Nieto 6, Capacio 4, Nieto 2, Ladaban 2, Mendoza 0, Joson 0, Vitangcol 0,

STI COLLEGE (81)

Napenas 18, Silverie 17, Rebugio 15, Amparo 8, Baquiran 8, Delorino 6, Pariñas 5, Sanchez 4, Lucban 0