THE BUILD-UP: The 1985 - 1986 Blue Eaglets

THE 1985 ATENEO JUNIORS TEAM

After the monumental success of the 1984 team it was time now for a coaching change and the Ateneo High School got a former champion player who can translate his experience to a team filled with new players and that is Coach Ogie Narvasa.  Ogie is the ideal Atenean, eloquent and articulate, he is also a workhorse on the court. He is the type of Coach who loves to teach and more importantly pass on to the next generation of Ateneans his basketball knowledge and Ateneo traditions. Although he was part of the “demoralized” era when the Ateneo made the switch from the once glamorous NCAA to the not so glamorous UAAP, he never hesitated to say yes to his alma mater when it was in need him, a genuine man for others! At the same time helping him train the players is the trainer of champions Cary Sevilla.

Mike Morales stops to pass the ball

The 1985 junior’s squad had a nice mix of new players that complemented the holdovers. Team Captain Randy Sevilla, Albert Mendoza and Jun Oledan were the only remaining players of the team that went perfect the previous year. The team is loaded with shooters in Alex Panlilio, Mannix Singson,  Jobe Buenviaje,and  Mike Morales. Slashers in Pal Lansigan, Jyden Arboleda, Nilo Siongco and  Raymund Morales another big guy in Rico Santiago, the point guard of the future Billy Del Rosario and their glue guy and Mr. Do it all Chris Huertas.  Unlike the previous year, this edition of the Blue Eaglets were not favored to win the title.  The frontrunners then were the Adamson Falcons led by the high scoring Romulo “Karl Mulong” Orillosa who scored 40 points almost at will. The UE Junior Pages were also in the talks because of eventual juniors MVP Modesto Hojilla. Lasty there is also the FEU Baby Tamaraws with the Baby tamaraw himself Elias Burden. 

Mannix to the rescue

The Blue Eaglets were trying to survive the first round as they lost two games against UST and UE and ended the round with a 4 – 2 win loss slate.  Coach Ogie Narvasa told the team that they cannot afford to lose another game for they will bid their championship aspirations goodbye if that happens. So in their last game in the first round against the then undefeated FEU Baby Tamaraws, the Blue Eaglets fought them tooth and nail and were down by two with a couple of seconds left. As mentioned, the three-point line was introduced this season and Mannix Singson took advantage of that as he sank a three pointer that saved the day for the Eaglets.  That win gave the Blue Eaglets the needed confidence and spunk they lacked in the first round. By the second round, Team Captain Randy Sevilla led the team’s surge to the finals as the Blue Eaglet’s offense just clicked and their defense was relentless which gave the Katipunan team their third straight championship by defeating the FEU Baby Tamarawas in the championship. In retrospect, this team was very raw but Coach Ogie Narvasa’s experience as a champion himself gave the players the mindset on how to become champions and that is to become a cohesive unit that the team achieved from the second round onwards.

THE 1986 ATENEO JUNIORS TEAM

When the tryouts for the 1986 UAAP juniors team came everyone was excited once again because not only were there new blood coming from the other junior ranks but also a new Coach was coming in – Chot Reyes.  The new team captain now was Mike Morales and together with Jobe Buenviaje, Billy del Rosario and Rico Santiago welcomed the new team with open hands.  Elevated from the PRADA team then was a thin senior sometimes called as the lean stringbean machine – Danny Francisco.  Danny Francisco's first venture into sports was competitive swimming.  He used to swim at the Valle Verde country club under the Lozada school of swimming. What got him started into playing basketball was the fact that the classrooms in grade school was surrounded by basketball courts and during our time we would use the remaining time of recess and lunch to play basketball. Swimming’s loss is basketball’s gain as Danny got accepted in the PAYA team and he developed his shooting skills as a forward back then. In one summer, Danny grew from 5’7 to 6’1 and played for the PAYA aspirants and PRADA teams as an underclassman. He eventually made it to the UAAP juniors team in his fourth year in High school.  On the other hand, Jojo Habana was one of the new power forwards of the team and was beast inside the paint. His superb leaping ability and athleticism helps him operate inside the paint with the greatest of ease. Another addition to the team came from Lourdes grade school and worked his way up to the Juniors team because of his playmaking and defense. The hardworking Olsen Racela was never flashy nor was he a scoring machine but the way he orchestrates the team’s offense and the way he shuts down the other team’s guard earned the nod of Coach Chot. Supporting Mike Morales in the shooting department are do it all guards Patrick Ildefonso and Vincent Cruz. Another speedster at the point guard position is Alfie Manlulo who can score and call out plays when needed.  If the team needs slashers then theres Romy Merino, Darren Javier and Aaron de Guzman while Edwin Galicia is the other big man coming off the bench.

 

Another reason that made the 1986 UAAP season exciting was that it was the first year of the Dela Salle Zobel Bengals. With Chot Reyes at the helm, the 1986 Blue Eaglets team were probably the most prepared team in the league. Chot would break down defensive assignments, offensive patterns and let the players visualize what would happen. The result was annihilation of all their opponents. Their patented fastbreak anchored on Danny Francisco getting the rebound and hitting Billy del Rosario with a baseball pass that always translated to two points.  The first round saw the Blue Eaglets wreak havoc as the Eaglets running game, unforgiving defense and superb three point shooting gave the team from Katipunan a seven – zero first round win loss record.  What made the season more exciting was the Ateneo vs Las Salle 2nd round encounter and a close fight was in the offing as the Bengals fought toe to toe with the Blue Eaglets. The game was so hotly contested that saw a La salle player go below Billy del Rosario while he was catching the ball that led to Billy falling down head first. A fight almost ensued as the crowd, including the bus load of DLSZ students that came to watch were all ready to mix it up. Eventually the game resumed and the Blue Eaglets went to business and buried the Bengals with a flurry of points that had them win more than 20 points. Although everyone predicted a sweep and the finals game against Adamson which was a rout looked anti-climatic, we will always take 14 – 0 everyday as the Blue Eaglets completed the four-peat in stunning fashion.

After a successful campaign in the juniors division, most of the graduating players from the Blue Eaglets tried out for the seniors team. Danny Francisco and Jojo Habana were immediately taken in while the others were cut from the team including Olsen Racela. JV Gayoso eventually finished his one year residency, Albert Mendoza and Raymund Morales were activated after serving as reserves in their freshman year together with two more point guards. There was a logjam at the point guard position considering that the Blue Eagles were about to get another point guard from UST so Olsen was let go. Racela then tried out with the UP Maroons and again he was cut.  Since Olsen passed the ACET he decided to concentrate on his studies and let go of his dream of becoming a Blue Eagle.But sometimes lady luck comes calling back as Racela was called back to tryout once again with barely weeks to go before the opening of the 1987-1988 school year.  Apparently, the two reserved point guards encountered academic problems while the third point guard they were inviting from UST stayed in Espana. Now the management then were looking for a player to back up Jun Reyes and since Olsen was a part of the 1986 juniors team and was already accepted at the Ateneo they gave him another look. Now Olsen is the master of second chances, he was originally cut from the Paya aspirants team when he was a freshman in High School but toiled hard to be noticed then eventually included in the line-up. Olsen is an old school point guard who distributes the ball well, is pesky on defense and lets his offense flow as the game progresses. With that Olsen became the 14^th member of the 1987 Ateneo Blue Eagles.

NEXT BLOG: THE REINFORCEMENTS

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Blue Eaglets lose game 1 of finals

The Eaglets on defense

Blame it on the long lay-off or was it just pure overconfidence that the Ateneo Blue Eaglets felt when they failed to close the game to give the second running University of Santo Tomas Tiger Cubs a 77 -71 win in the first game of the championship of the UAAP Juniors Division. National Youth 18 and under mainstay Kevin Ferrer proved that he is head and shoulder above the rest as he carried his team to victory as he led all scorers with 35 points and delivered the most important points in crunch time. This win came after UST swingman JP Sarcia was thrown out in the first quarter for a punching foul on Jay Sacluti.

Rookie Center Jay Javelosa scores

The Blue Eaglets started the game on a hot streak as it raced to a 10 - 0 lead on Paolo Romero's six points. The Eaglets stymied the Tiger Cubs guards as they forced Ejay Corre to turnovers and converted them to points. Von Pessumal scored 4 points in that run with Keifer Ravena scoring two points. The Tiger Cubs sensing problems in their start sued for time and eventually regrouped. The Cubs attacked the Blue Eaglets press with Corre scoring on drives and the rest of the team helping out in bringing the ball down. The Eaglets where still ahead 14 -2 when the Tiger Cubs came back with a fiery 11 - 5 run to end the first quarter within striking distance 19-13.

Paolo Romero lays it in

In the second quarter Kevin Ferrer happened! It was the moment that the MVP candidate has asked for as he drained three three pointers to give the Tiger cubs the upperhand and the momentum of the game. Ferrer missed an opportunity for a four point play but showed that is for real as Ateneo never knew what hit them. The Tiger Cubs eventually took a 26-22 lead on the barrage of threes by Ferrer and also took the half 37-32. From then on no one was able to stop Ferrer as he went on a tear offensively and was ably backed up by their point guard Ejay Corre with 24 points. Kiefer Ravena had 24 points while Von Pessumal had a hard time scoring 14 points as he missed all his three point shots. Paolo Romero had 12 but all of them in the first half.

Kiefer Ravena outjumps everybody

The end for the Blue Eaglets came with 3 minutes left in the fourth quarter. with the score tied at 62 - all and the Tiger cubs having possession. Ferrer looked tired and has missed three three pointers and some free throws. Unfortunately for the Blue Eaglets they never knew that Ferrer had an overdrive gear in him as he let loose two three pointers that gave the Tiger Cubs a 68 - 62 advantage that rattled the Blue Eaglets. The Eaglets would cut the score to 74-71 with less than a minute less after Lambert Tenorio hit a triple and Kiefer Ravena scored on a lay up with three defenders on him. Kevin Ferrer would ice the game with his free throws. Game two is set on thursday at 11:00 am at the big dome.

Kiefer off Kevin

The Scores:

UST 77- Ferrer 35, Core 24, Cabauatan 6, Lazaro 3, Ilarde 3, Sarcia 2, Mison 2, Gooh 2, Salas 0.

ADMU 71- Ravena 24, Pessumal 14, Romero 12, Tenorio 9, Mercado 4, Dumrique 4, Javelosa 2, Gadia 2, Vitangcol 2, Suarez 0, Sacluti 0, Puno 0, Lim 0, Gamboa 0, Austria 0.

Quarter scores: 13-19, 37-32, 49-50, 77-71.

Blue Eaglets wins Game 1of UAAP Jrs. final

The Boys sing the Song of Mary

The UAAP Juniors Basketball tournament is the Ateneo Blue Eaglets own playground. Imagine, in the 31 seasons the Blue Eaglets played they were booted out of the finals only four times, was runner up 13 times and won the title 14 times including four straight in 1983 to 1986. Having said that, one might say that the Blue Eaglets have done almost everything, but then again that statement is true in one sense specially after what happened today. For the first time the Blue Eaglets have beaten the de La Salle Junior Archers in a championship game!

Capacio and Pessumal jockey for position

The Blue Eaglets have been lording it over the UAAP Juniors tournament until the de La Salle ZObel Junior Archers came up with a massive recruitment effort to bring the players that they needed. This recruitment got them two titles in 2005 and 2007. Unfortunately, this is only the second time these two titans are meeting in the finals. In 2005 the Eaglets were upset by the UPIS Baby Maroons which was won by the Junior Archers. They eventually followed it up with a 2007 conquest over the favored Blue Eaglets. On the other hand, in 2006 the Junior Archers were not allowed to play while in 2008 they were upset by the FEU Baby Tamaraws – in those years the Eaglets won the title.

A steal and a basket

This highly anticipated match up had the makings of a blockbuster since both teams have different philosophies and highly touted cagers. For the Ateneo, former Freshman Phenom and Sophomore sensation Kiefer Ravena is now the main man of the team. His youthful enthusiasm carried the fight for the Blue Eaglets as he once again played an all around game of 33 points, 9 Rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks as he led the Ateneo to a 80-73 conquest of the de La Salle Zobel Junior Archers in game 1 of the Juniors Basketball tournament. It was the first time the Blue Eaglets have beaten the Junior Archers in the finals and vengeance is just around the corner as they battle once again for game two on Tuesday October 6, 2009.

Von on the drive

The Blue Eaglets dictated the tempo of the game from the start as their defense forced the Junior Archers to turnovers. Keifer Ravena scored rightaway as he hit a lay up and a three pointer to lead the Eaglets to a 7-0 lead. The Junior Archers would eventually counter as their main man Gwyne Capacio scored off three free throws as the Zobel quintet kept was just within striking distance of the Eaglets. Enter the lanky 6-7 Arnold Van Opstal the Junior Archers human fly swatting machine. Van Opstal blocked 6 shots of the Blue Eaglets which led to the change of offensive patterns for the team in Blue.

Rebound play

After playing catch up to the Blue Eaglets, Louis Fortuna sank a three pointer that gave them the lead 24-23 with still 8 minutes left in the 2^nd quarter. Unfortunately for the Junior Archers their lead was just for a 2 minutes as Al Bugarin pushed the Eaglets back on top 30-29 with 6 minutes left in the half. Both teams fought tooth and nail with the Blue Eaglets leading most of the way and the Junior Archers playing catch up, the half would end with both teams tied 38 - all.

Kiefer over Van Opstal

After the half, the Blue Eaglets opened with an Ice Reyes three pointer that was answered by Louis Fortuna of La Salle. Kiefer scored on a jumper and Van Opstal countered with two free throws.Then the Blue Eaglets got lucky as Luis Sinco scored 5 straight points while Kiefer, Chucky Dumrique and Von Pessumal added four points through the 15 foot line to give the Eaglets a 52-43 lead after the Junior Archers went 1 of 11 from the floor. The Junior Archers then came back through a series of fastbreak points courtesy of Van Opstal and free throws by Capacio, Fortuna and Elorde to cut Ateneo’s lead to three 52-49. The Blue Eaglets closed out the quarter with 4 straight points on four straight free throws to end the quarter on top by seven points 56-49.

Tim is hacked

The fourth quarter was all Kiefer Ravena. He started the quarter with a three pointer, a jumper on the side with a hand in his face and a lay up on the fast break and passed off to Chuck Dumrique to put the Eaglets on top 65-52 with 6:30 left. The Blue Eaglets were about to blow the game open until the Junior Archers made a big comeback. Nico Elorde completed a four point play to put the Junior Archers to within 3 points, 67 – 70 with still three minutes left in the game. That was the cue King Eaglet Kiefer needed to douse cold water on the Junior Archers rally as he scored 6 important points in a time when the momentum shifted to the Junior Archers. Nico Elorde scored on a drive to cut down the lead once again 76 – 73 with 52 seconds left. The Blue Eaglets then closed out the game with a 4-0 wind up and their defense prevented the Junior Archers to score as the Blue Eaglets takes the first step in retaining their title.

Ice Reyes did a good job on Elorde

Ably supporting Ravena was the heads up play of Al Bugarin who scored 10 points, Luis Sinco who got things going in the third quarter had 8 points and 16 and under campaigner Von Pessumal with 7 points. Nico Elorde led DLS-Z with 18 points while Gwynne Capacio added 15 points. Lets go B lue Eaglets lets win this one.

The drive by Keifer

The scores:

ATENEO (80)

Ravena 33, Bugarin 10, Sinco 8, Pessumal 7, Dumrique 6, Banal 6, Reyes 5, Pe 5, Tenorio 0, Alonte 0, Erazo 0, Romero 0, Capacio 0, Daez 0, Alonte 0, Armenia 0,

DLS-Z (73)

Elorde 18, Capacio 15, Van Opstal 12, Dela Paz 12, Fortuna 12, Sevilla 2, Roxas 2, Park 0, Herrera 0,

23-19, 38- all, 56-49, 80-73

Kiefer in Traffic

2008 YEAR ENDER

2008 is a year that is hard to forget to me. So many events and so many great things to remember that I think a year ender would be good enough to summarize the year.

MHEL'S STORY OF THE YEAR

Ateneo in a Basketball Grandslam. The only thing that can beat what the Ateneo has achieved this year is for them to do it again next year. It is the year when the Ateneo Basketball program of Coach Norman black finally came to play. TEAM Ateneo not only captured the Senior’s and Junior’s Title , they added the prestigious SBP title and National SBP Title as well.

ATENEO wins UAAP Senior’s Basketball Title

I remember Chris Tiu saying during the team launch that their team is ready and he ranks themselves as number 1 in the UAAP. Well talk about being humble, there was nothing wrong with what he said and if you look at it he was correct after all. This team has learned from their previous mistakes the past two seasons as Chris and Jai ably complemented the break out season of UAAP MVP Rabah Al-Husaini. The Blue Eagles were a sight to behold as their

FULL STORY of Game 2: http://mhelgarrido.blogspot.com/2008/09/ateneo-wins-4th-uaap-title.html

ATENEO wins UAAP Junior’s Basketball Title

The only thing that made the win anticlimactic was that they did not win it against the defending champs DLS-Z. But like what they say, a win is a win no matter who you win it against. This team also learned from their sorry finals loss last year as Seniors Juami Tiongson, JV Dumrique and Ivan Enriquez took turns in leading their team to victory. This is the first double championship since 1976!

Full Story of Game 2: http://mhelgarrido.blogspot.com/2008/09/blue-eaglets-regain-juniors-title.html

ATENEO wins Small Basketeers of the Philippines Title

A day after winning the UAAP Jrs. Title, the young eaglets fought with their hearts as the taller Xavierians and host school, came back from a 14 point deficit but ran out of steam. This team had a good blend of players who will hopefully make a mark with Team Ateneo in the future.

http://mhelgarrido.blogspot.com/2008/10/ateneo-gs-bring-home-sbp-title.html

ATENEO wins SBP National Title

Mozzy Ravena, the mother of Thirdy Ravena said that the Ateneo SBP team will have a hard time repeating as champions since the team is so small. When the Nationals went underway in Iloilo they were in for a surprise as the Ateneo de Davao team paraded a team with one player standing 5’10 and two others standing 5’8. Total team aeffort carried the Manila team as they captured their second SBP National Title.

Full Story : http://mhelgarrido.blogspot.com/2008/11/admu-wins-back-to-back-national-sbp.html

LET DOWN OF THE YEAR:

These three Blogs constitute the biggest letdown or news that I got this year.

The Olympians place second, crash during PCCL Finals

After beating the mighty San Sebastian College Cavite Baycats in game 1 of the NAASCU Championship with three significant players not playing, everyone thought that the Olympians will win back to back titles and make it back to the Philippine Collegiate Championships where they gained notoriety last year. Unfortunately for the Olympians, luck run out on them as they got blown away in Game 2 and missed 23 free throws in Game 3. That gave the Baycats the title. In the wildcard phase the Olympians lost twice by two points and bombed out of the PCCL. Hope that they recover their bearings by the 9^th NAASCU Season. Story of Game 3 : http://mhelgarrido.blogspot.com/2008/10/baycats-new-naascu-champs.html

Ateneo vs DLSU PBA Challenge

Well, it was just like seeing basketball players just playing and not thinking of their school colors. The teams were composed mainly of the 2001 DLSU Champion team and the 2002 Ateneo Champion team. Watching this game was a mistake. Fullstory: http://mhelgarrido.blogspot.com/2008/03/ateneo-vs-la-salle-in-pba.

Lady Eagles bomb out as Coach John goes out

Let us remember where we were before and where we started. This is what Coach John Flores would always tell his players as the Lady Eagles he once coached started from the bottom of the UAAP Women’s basketball tournament and methodically made their way up the ladder. The result was two final fours, one finals loss and two UAAP titles. Not bad since the Seniors only had three titles. After his success the Ateneo management through the Lady Eagles sacked their coach. The result was a disastrous as the Lady Eagles bombed out of the final four after the incident. Side Story from Rick Olivares: http://bleachersbrew.blogspot.com/2008/01/coach-takes-flight.html

BC All Ateneo Affair

WESLEY GONZALES AND JC INTAL

JC was a rookie when the team won in 2002. It just came to me when I said that Wesley was also new in 2002 since he skipped the 2001 season. JC has now recovered from a sickness that involved him not sweating which led us to say “Your practices are no sweat to you right!” Tracy asked both Wes and JC if they have immediate wedding plans, both of them are not yet ready to answer those questions. Wesley was very animated and he even said that playing basketball is just his stepping stone to becoming a movie star! His classmate by the way is movie hunk Alfred Vargas.

JC is now playing with Air 21 and has just finished his first season with the team. He has high hopes that he will be playing lots of minutes soon. Wesley on the other hand is now in his fifth year and is requesting SMB Management if he could be traded to a team that will have good use of his skills as a small forward. He specifically mentioned the Purefoods team. There was already a news item that came out that he was already traded to Purefoods, unfortunately there were things that they are still ironing out so that the trade can be consummated. Good luck to your respective careers guys, the whole Ateneo community is watching you.

THE ATENEO BLUE EAGLETS

The team had Mythical Five member Juami Tiongson, Finals MVP JV Dumrique, his brother Chucky, Center Ivan Enriquez and Kevin Gamboa. They were accompanied by their Assistant Coaches Joe Silva, Gio Tingson and one of the team managers Blue Viray. The four seniors were thankful that they came in together as champions in 2006, learned a lot from their 2007 debacle and are very happy to leave a legacy when they leave the Ateneo High School with another championship. One important thing discussed were their chances of landing a spot in the Ateneo Seniors team. Ivan for one said he needs to improve a lot of things in his game since rumors say that the SSC Staglets main man Arvie Bringas might be wearing the Blue and White jersey come season 72. He would need to compete for the same slot that Arvie will be setting his sights on. At the same time, HS ball is a lot different than college. For one Tonino Gonzaga has adjusted to playing shooting guard but we do remember him as the small Power forward of the 2006 Champion squad. J

Juami and JV were both overwhelmed that they got the nod to be in the Mythical 5 and finals MVP but what lacked a great season was payback against the DLS-Z junior archers. As Joe Silva would put it when I asked him were they ready if DLS-Z would have been the team that advanced to the finals? “The outcome would have been the same irregardless of who we met in the finals!” Very well said. Good luck to the four seniors who will be trying out for a slot in the Ateneo Men’s team and good luck also to Chucky Dumrique who will be one of the key players for next year’s team. Imagine, he will be teaming up with his SBP rival Keifer Ravena against the Gwyne Capacio led DLS-Z team next season. Good luck to the Ateneo Blue Eaglets – One Big Fight!

THE ATENEO BLUE EAGLES

The team had Finals MVP Nonoy Baclao, Graduating super senior Yuri Escueta, balik BC Nico Salva, Bacon Austria, Oping Sumalinog, Mike Baldos and team Manager Paolo Trillo. Most of the things talked about were their mixed feelings in getting the title. As Bacon Austria put it, “This is the reward for the countless sacrifices we made.” I asked Bacon if he had a hard time with his transition from playing forward (small and Power) in High School to playing a little bit of point guard with Coach Norman. He said not really since he believes he has good point guard sense that runs around his blood which he owes to his dad. Nonoy on the other hand mentioned that he has improved a lot specially since he was once rattled by the rowdy UAAP crowd. He has since adjusted and because he has always kept his game face on, he focuses on the game and does not know what happened when he let his emotions out when he blocked an important DLSU offensive. nonoy thus apologized to rico maierhoher for his act or reaction which he deemed as unethical. a lot of them are thinking that back to back championships are not far off. According to team manager Paolo Trillo, they are just finishing some things and hopefully they can plan the cruise to which where the blue eagles will be given the necessary respite and celebration.

Blue Eaglets regain juniors title

We are the ChampionshipS!!!

Coming into the championship of the 70^th season of the Juniors division of the UAAP, the Ateneo Blue Eaglets were favored to win the title. Unfortunately, they fell into the trap of engaging the DLS-Z Junior Archers to a war of words on who is better instead of the war on the court. As a result, the Junior Archers upset the Blue Eaglets in game 1 and wrapped up the series in Game 2. This year, the same scenario was in place as the Blue Eaglets once again found their way on top of the elimination round and then beat the Adamson Baby Falcons to barge into the finals. The lessons of the past are still in the minds of the Blue Eaglets, JV Dumrique is still feeling the pressure of his finals meltdown last year together with Juami Tiongson who was at the forefront of last year’s campaign. This year is different, focus was the key to the team as they used their experience to ram the FEU – FERN Baby Tamaraws 71-60 to win the 14^th UAAP Juniors title for the Ateneo High School.

Chucky Dumrique's speed will be what AHS studes will await next year

As expected, the game was only close during the first few minutes of the first quarter. Although the Baby Tams opened the scoring in the fisrt quarter, JV Dumrique immediately waxed hot as he scored 11 of the first 15 points of the Blue Eaglets. JV drove to the hoop without any hesitation, scored on a jumper, a three pointer and on two free throws in a display of firepower reminiscent of his SBP days. Game 1's MVP Ivan Enriquez added four points in this quarter as he established his presence in the paint once again.  At the end of the first quarter, the Blue Eaglets have made their run and is poised to win the title again as they led the Baby Tamaraws 22-16 after 10 minutes of play.

Kiefer Ravena has two more years with the Blue Eaglets

The Baby Tamaraws on the other hand used the second quarter to come back to the game. Lou Bautista started the scoring parade with a three pointer followed by Five straight points by Chris Tolomia and a free throw by Chino Almario. In a wink of an eye the FEU Baby Tamaraws were already ahead 25-24 thanks to the offensive burst by Chris Tolomia. The Blue Eaglets battle back as sophomore sensation Kiefer Ravena scored on the drive and off a steal with a foul to boot. This was followed by baskets by the two Paolo's, Romero and Pe which gave the Blue Eaglets some breathing room to lead 33-25 with two minutes and fifty seconds to go. JV Dumrique closed the half with two free throws as the Eaglets went to the dug out with a 39-30 lead.  

Ivan the Terrible shows them how to howl

Getting the positive energy of their "Kuyas" who came to watch them, the fired up Blue Eaglets now started their onslaught as they opened the first five minutes of the quarter with an 11-5 run to give the Blue Eaglets a commanding 50-35 lead with 5:50 to play in the quarter. This time it was Juami Tiongson's time to wax hot as he scattered 10 points in this quarter after he sank two three pointers plus two more field goals to lead the Blue Eaglets to their biggest lead of the game at 60-39. From then on it was an uphill climb for the Baby Tamaraws since they had a hard time sustaining their second quarter salvo. The quarter ended with the Blue Eaglets comfortably ahead 60-44.

Two Titles in three years for these Seniors

Team Captain JV Dumrique and Kiefer Ravena teamed up to give the Blue Eaglets the needed scoring sock as they combined for 9 of the Blue Eaglets 11 4th quarter points to enable the team to just coast by after the BabyTamaraws tried for one final heave to turn the rout into a game. Chris Tolomia scored 10 points in this quarter but it was not enough as the help he needed from his team mates never came and all they can do was put the lead down to a respectable level. In the end the Blue Eaglets prevailed by 11 points and the first double championship in 32 years is now a reality.

A fitting finale for the season, Finals MVP JV Dumrique

JV Dumrique was adjudged as the finals MVP as his steadiness in the clutch helped the Blue Eaglets in making sure that this one will not slip away.  The Blue Eaglets learned a lot from their loss to the Junior Archers, at the same time they also learned a great big deal in their first round loss to the same team, the first time DLS-Z has won three straight against the boys in Blue.  Come the 2nd round the Blue Eaglets were all business as they secured the top spot enroute to the finals.  The four seniors would have made it a grand slam but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. 

The last time an Ateneo team won the Juniors and Seniors in the same year was in 1976 when the Blue Eagles were still in the NCAA. Congratulations to the Blue Eaglets and to Coach Jamike Jarin.  Kudos too to the graduating seniors JV Dumrique, Ivan Enriquez, Kevnin Gamboa and Juami Tiongson. On to the next level.

Blue Eaglets win Game 1 of UAAP Jrs. Championship

When the Ateneo Blue Eaglets won the Juniors Title back in 2006, Juami Tiongson,  JV Dumrique and Ivan Enriquez rode the bench most of the time and had fun cheering their older brothers beat the FEU Baby Tamaraws. It took a three pointer to break the backs of the Tamaraws which was the turning point of the series as  the Eaglets captured their 13^th UAAP Juniors Title

The High flying Blue Eaglet, Kiefer Ravena

This year, the triumvirate led the Eagles to a nerve wracking 72-62 win over the FEU Baby Tamaraws once again.  Ivan Enriquez, Ateneo’s 6’3 mean post up machine made sure this time around that the Ateneo Blue Eaglets won’t be pushed aside as he led the Blue Eaglets with 18 points, mostly inside the paint and with a challenge from the FEU big guys. He was 7 of 7 inside and 4 of 5 from the stripe. He also pulled down 17 Rebounds.

JV Dumrique defended and orchestrated well and scored when it needed

The Eaglets started hot as JUami Tiongson started the ball game with a three pointer and the Blue Eaglets raced to a 5-0 lead while the FEU Baby Tams tried to catch up. The Tamaraws easily got past the Ateneo pressure defense that translated to fastbreak points by Chris Tolomia and Mon Santiago.  The Baby Tams came charging back towards the Eaglets through a three point play by Chino Almario which gave them an 8-7 lead.

Chuckie Dumrique will man the backcourt after brother JV graduate

Suddenly Juami Tiongson misfired in his next shots which was the cue for Coach Jamike Jarin to bring in the sophomore sensation Kiefer Ravena. Just like in the script, Ravena did not disappoint as he rattled off five consecutive points to give Ateneo a 15-10 lead. Then the Baby Tams refused to let go as they rattled in 5 consecutive points to tie the game 15-all. Then the Baby Tams unleashed a fiery killer run to end the quarter ahead 21-16. 

Ivan Enriquez was a man among boys

That was FEU run was enough to wake up the Blue Eaglets. Ivan Enriquez flexed his muscle inside the paint and Ael Banal an Juami connected from the outside. What was more evident was the Eaglets defense that made the Baby Tams bleed for the 6 points they produced in the second quarter. In contrast the Blue Eaglets transformed each turnover to a basket as they scattered 20 second quarter points. 

The Blue Eaglet in spread Eagle formation

In the second half, the Blue Eaglets just kept the Tamaraws within the double digit distance as their awesome firepower was on cruise control and their defense automatic. Ael , Juami, JV and Keifer were shuffled in and out but after a disastrous first half by Al Bugarin, Ivan Enriquez played a majority of the second half.  The last scare came when the Baby Tams scored on a three pointer to close the gap to six points. Then the Blue Eaglets failed to convert and the Baby Tams got the possession with a chance to put the lead down to four with a little over two minutes left.  

Kiefer with the pivotal three point play

Kiefer Ravena came to the rescue as the Blue Eaglets defended well and gave the ball to a streaking Kiefer who scored on the fastbreak and the additional free throw. Cheers erupted from the Ateneo gallery as the three point play became the turning point of the game which eventually went to the Katipunan High School squad.  Game two will still be at the San Juan Arena after the Women’s championship game which the FEU Lady Tams won over the UP Lady Maroons.

Juami Tiongson was a picture of consistency

After their sorry loss to the Junior Archers last year, the Blue Eaglets are on a mission to capture their 14^th UAAP Juniors title.  Stay tuned for the best is just about to unfold.

ATENEO (72)

Enriquez 18, Tiongson 15, Banal 13, Ravena 11, J. Dumrique 6, Romero 4, C. Dumrique 1, Bugarin 1, Gamboa 1, Pe 0, Capacio 0, Reyes 0

FEU (62)

Tolomia 18, Albano 11, Santiago 10, Almario 9, Escoto 7, Pardo 7, Infante 0, Managuelod 0, Bautista 0,

Quarter scores: 16-21, 36-27, 51-41, 72-62