Blue Eaglets get Three-peat

The Ateneo Blue Eaglets
Three Straight UAAP Juniors Titles

Ateneo High School spitfire Kiefer Ravena got the best defenders on him so he faked one defender to the left, went right and when a third defender was about to meet him on the drive Keifer issued a bullet pass to freshman center Jay Javelosa who went strong to the basket and got a foul from UST Tiger Cub center Kevin Ferrer, foul and counted. This signaled the passing of the torch from one veteran phenom to another as Senior guard Keifer Ravena led the Ateneo Blue Eaglets to a masterful 76 – 59 conquest over the University of Santo Tomas Tiger Cubs. It was third straight UAAP Juniors title for the Katipunan based high school squad and they have finals MVP Kiefer Ravena to thank.

Finals MVP Kiefer Ravena scores

In a duel of two MVPs, Kiefer Ravena more than showed who the real MVP is as he went toe to toe with co-Mythical 5 member, under 18 youth team teammate and season 73 UAAP Juniors MVP Kevin Ferrer of the University of Santo Tomas. Ravena scored 24 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and no fouls after playing for all but five minutes of the game. In striking contrast, Ferrer was limited to 13 points but had 10 rebounds and 1 assist and 1 steal, a far cry from his 35 point outburst in their first game last week. Both players will join the RP 18 and under national team in the FIBA 18 and under basketball tournament in Yemen.

The Battle of Kiefer Ravena and Kevin Ferrer

The Blue Eaglets started the same way they started in game 1 as they took an early lead as the four graduating seniors who were holdovers of last year’s team went berserk and established an early lead. Kiefer Ravena scored 8 first quarter point while fellow seniors Von Pessumal added 6 points, Center Paolo Romero canned four points and former Grade school main man Chuck Dumrique scored 5 points. Dumrique gave the Blue Eaglets a 23 – 14 lead after he nailed a three pointer at the buzzer. UST Tiger cubs wingman and three point specialist Jaypee Sarcia who did not play in game 2 because of the penalty given him because of his punching foul, scattered 5 points together with Ismael Corre, Ferrer only had 4 points as the three accounted for the 14 points of the UST team.

Chuck Dumrique scores on a reverse lay up

In the second quarter, defense was the key for both teams as the Tiger Cubs would double team Kiefer Ravena and the phenom would respond by letting his other team mates to score as five Blue Eaglets scored in the 2^nd quarter with while the troika of Ferrer, Corre and Sarcia continued their way for the Tiger Cubs, the Eaglets outscored the Cubs in the second canto 12 – 11 to lead the first half by ten, 35 - 25. In the third quarter the Blue Eaglets threatened to blow the game out as Ravena and Pessumal combined to put the give the Blue Eaglets their biggest lead 50 – 35 with 5 minutes to go. Ravena was simply unstoppable while Pessumal hit his jumpers as the Tiger Cubs sued for time to recover. The Tiger Cubs eventually came back as Jaypee Sarcia, Ronino Mison and five other tiger cubs as they threatened the Blue eaglets as they cut the 15 point lead to three 50-47. The quarter would end with two more Ateneo baskets to give the Blue Eaglets more breathing room 54-47.

Von Pessumal on a jumper

Come the fourth quarter, it was just a matter of formality as the Blue Eaglets shut down Ismael Corre, forced Jaypee Sarcia to missed three pointers and limited Kevin Ferrer to just one three point field goal as the Blue Eaglets defense went to work again. Chuck Dumrique scored 7 fourth quarter points as the four seniors holdovers held their own against the Tiger Cubs to become the second Ateneo Juniors team to win to win three titles in a row, the last one was in 1985, that team eventually won a fourth one in 1986. Just when you think that UAAP Season 73 Finals MVP Kiefer Ravena’s graduation would be a big loss to the Ateneo campaign next year , well think again since the Ateneo pipeline is so loaded and there are so many players coming in next year to signal another era for Ateneo High School basketball. Just as the torch was passed to Kiefer by the senior players when he was a freshman, Kiefer has just passed the torch to Javelosa and the rest of the Blue Eaglets as he, Pessumal, Romero and Chuckie Dumrique join 1985 Blue Eaglets Randy Sevilla as the only Blue Eaglets to be a part of a three-peat. Congrats to the Blue Eaglets including the coaching staff led by Coach Jamike Jarin. See you again next year.

Paolo Romero was 7 of 9

from the field for 14 points

ATENEO (76)

Ravena 24, Pessumal 15, Dumrique 14, Romero 14, Tenorio 5, Javelosa 3, Sacluti 1, Vitangcol 0, Suarez 0, Puno 0, Mercado 0, Lim 0, Gamboa 0, Gadia 0, Austria 0,

UST (59)

Sarcia 17, Ferrer 13, Corre 9, Mison 7, Lazaro 6, Cabauatan 5, Gooh 2, salas 0, Ilarde 0, Florentin 0

Quarter scores:

23 – 14, 35 – 25, 54 – 47, 76 - 59

ATENEO UAAP JUNIORS CHAMPIONSHIPS

1978, 1979, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009,

and 2010

Chuck Dumrique off Kevin Ferrer