Junior Olympians win in FMC debut

Eric Sanchez scores a three

The first is always the hardest specially for a team that has just been assembled for the past two weeks. The STI College Junior Olympians start their quest for a a Juniors title in the forthcoming 11th NAASCU by joining the Fr. Martin's Cup as a guest team. This way the team can eventually gel, get to run some plays and more importantly know what their roles will be come game time. With only four remaining remnants of last year's team, the road to respectability seems to be a long one considering that the Junior Olympians have yet to make it to the NAASCU final four.

Macky Delorino takes it to hoop

The year's team is led by third year veteran Eric Sanchez who has blossomed into the team's all around player. Together with Sanchez is a cast that can shoot the lights out on any given day as the duo of Erven Silverie and Vincent Amparo showcase the superb outside shooting of the team. Add to the mix shifty guard Macky Delorino and the inside presence of Arjay Napenas and returning center John Pariñas. The six players form the core of the Olympians who are also trying out other junior players who will suit the STI Basketball system.

Erven Silverie sank four three pointers

In this year's Father Martin's Cup, the Junior Olympians are entered as a guest team in the Juniors division and their mission is to hone their skills and gel so that come NAASCU time the team is a well oiled machine. In their first game the Junior Olympians faced a tough stand by the Emilio Aguinaldo College - Immaculate Conception Academy Brigadiers as the Junior Olympians held on to beat their NCAA juniors counterparts to the tune of a 71 - 69 win. Arjay Napenas and John Parinas were the big guns who scored inside while Silverie, Delorino, Amparo and Sanchez each sank at least a three pointer to show the balanced scoring of the NAASCU Junior contenders.

Vincent Amparo was a force

both on offense and defense

The Junior Olympians blew hot and cold as they allowed the EAC squad to get back as they repeatedly turned the ball over after threatening to pull away. In the third quarter the Junior Olympians led 57 - 48 after Erven Silverie sank three three pointers which the EAC zone defense failed to neutralize. In the fourth quarter, the Junior Olympians big men were in foul trouble which prompted coach Hubert delos Santos to go small. The Brigadiers capitalized on this and crawled back until the final seconds where they missed three point blank field goals that would have sent the game into overtime. The Junior Olympians live to fight another day, next stop - the UST Tiger Cubs.

Arjay Napenas gets the rebound

The Scores

STI College Junior Olympians (71)

Napeñas 16, Pariñas 14, Silverie 14, Delorino 7, Sanchez 7, Amparo 6, Boquiran 4, Lucban 2, Pasos 1

EAC (69)

Mendoza 27, Superable 19, Padriones 10, Guinta 7, Manreza 2, Mayone 2

Quarterscores: 20 - 14, 35 - 35, 57 - 51, 71 -69

Olympians lose twice

Storm slips but stays gets up

The STI College Olympians Team A had two key players missing in their line-up, Center Elmer Labis who has pneumonia and Swingman Abby Chavez who left early for the Christmas season. Left with nine players to rotate, that did not bother the Olympians as they battled tooth and nail but lost steam in the end game losing to Emilio Aguinaldo College in overtime 78 - 80. The Olympians battled back to several deficits with the most at 10 as they shut down the Generals with their vaunted pressure defense and even had a chance to win until forward Jasper Melano missed a game winner in regulation.

A Kobe play alike move

The Olympians were led by the heads up play of their two big men Cedric Ablaza and Ivan Moreno. The two conspired for most of the inside points of the Olympians and shared time to thwart all efforts of the Generals to score inside. After the half the Olympians were on top by three 35 – 32. Unfortunately the Generals found the chink in the Olympians armor as they pummeled the STI big men with their stifling defense and converted at will on offense. After the third quarter the Generals were in control of the game.

Ablaza scored heavily

STI forward Cedric Ablaza was on a roll scoring inside the paint but was later sent to the bench for good as he was whistled for his fifth foul in regulation with still a lot of time on the clock. The Olympians then went to veteran playmaker Oscar Crisostomo, point guard Storm Riva, forward Jasper Melano and Moreno to defend their turf and eventually take the lead 65 – 64 with a minute left in the game.

Jasper Melano was adequate in defense
but relentless on offense

In overtime, Melano missed two free throws with 20 seconds left and the Generals ahead by five. Eric Sanchez drained a three pointer to put the Olympians within two 78 – 80 with six seconds left but that proved to be the final stand of the Olympians. With two vital cogs of the team not playing and the leading scorer fouled out, the Olympians showed that a loss like this can also be a victory in terms of what they have discovered and accomplished.

The Mac Attack scores

In the other game of the Olympians, the efforts of Jerald Bautista and Rama Krisna Morales were not enough to give the Olympians headway as the National University Bulldogs beat the Olympians 76-52. The team was complete and the veterans were raring to go.

Former Olympians Emmanuel Mbe plays against STI

Former Olympian Emmanuel Mbe suited up for the Bulldogs and made his imposing presence in the paint matter as the 6-7 behemoth grabbed rebounds, scored points through put backs and was an imposing defender. The Olympians led early 11 -7 but Mbe asserted his might and the rest of the Bulldogs followed suit. By the fourth quarter the Olympians were outran and were out hustled by the game Bulldogs. In the end the Olympians garnered valuable experience from the game.

This is quite exciting. The veterans showed that they can compete while the second team also showed that they have what it takes to relieve the veterans and sustain the run of the main men. Both teams take a breather for the Christmas vacation and FMC 3 resumes on January 8, 2011.

RK's heady plays were not enough

Olympians beat Letran Knights

Cedric Ablaza towers over the others

Defense is a way of making your opponents create mistakes through the system you design for them to commit these mistakes. This was the scenario at the Father Martin's Cup when the STI College Olympians forced the Letran Knights to numerous errors that paved the way to STI College's 64-49 victory over the multi-titled NCAA squad. This was a very important win for the Olympians whose Head Coach Vic Ycasiano just arrived from a trip from the US with the RP Nokia 18 and under team.

Cedric Ablaza on the drive

The Knights started the game like a house on fire as they raced to a commanding 24-11 lead in the first quarter as they asserted their strength over the former NAASCU Champions. After figuring out what the Knights have been doing, the Olympians countered with a pulverizing run that did not sit well for the Intramuros based squad. The Knights were limited to just two second quarter points as the Olympians led by second year forward Cedric Ablaza equalized 26 – all after the first half.

Abby Chavez on the reverse

Come the third quarter, the knights were in to more trouble as the Olympians not only played good defense, but translated their defensive gems into baskets. NAASCU Mythical five selectee Jerald Bautista was the recipient of most of the fastbreak points as he torched the Knights in every chance that he had. Bautista would end up scoring 14 points as he joined hands with Ablaza as the top scorers.

Henri Betayenga on the drive

By the time the fourth quarter was on its last five minutes the Olympians were on its biggest lead at 54-46 and the only thing the Knights can do was bring down the lead. The Knights leaned on Kevin Alas, Jaypee Belencion and Jam Cortes to bring the lead down to a more respectable margin. It was a total team effort for the Olympians as their swarming defense, pressure defense and man to man coverage proved to be something that the Knights had a hard time handling. New Olympian recruit Henri Betayenga scored 8 points but hits presence was felt more on the defensive end as the Knights who were driving to the hoop found it hard to elude his long limbs that resulted in botched jumpers and lay ups.

Jasper Melano controlling the ball

There are still forty days to go before the opening of the 10^th NAASCU and the Olympians are starting to show the stuff that made them rule the NAASCU. But then again its too early to speculate. This is the fourth win of the Olympians in the Fr. Martin’s Cup and their first win ever against Letran.

Boxscores:

STI COLLEGE (64)

Ablaza 15, Bautista 14, Henri 8, Sabellina 7, Melano 6, Ihalas 5, Chavez 4, Alcantara 3, Gabo 2, Villadoz 0, Morales 0, Labrador 0, Po 0, Daguplo 0,

LETRAN COLLEGE (49)

Cortes 12, K. Alas 10, J. Alas 8, Dysam 7, Belencion 6, Espiritu 4, Belorio 2, Taplah 0, Rodil 0, Almazan 0, Pantin 0, Ang 0, Alejandro 0.

Quarterscores

11-24, 26-26, 44-36, 69-54

Olympians get a beating

The long road to the 9th NAASCU seems to be a lot longer than the usual ones the Olympians use to take. The Olympians are now back to what the team used to be in the 2005 season, pretenders.  After much success in the recent NAASCU, the Olympians are now left with a bunch of newbies trying to gel as a team. This team is almost complete and the only missing ingredient is teamwork.

As of now, the team has not yet fully grasped the trapping defense that has once given the team much success. At the same time getting the ball pass the mid court has become another problem for the team.The Olympians are now using the Fr. Martin's Cup as a means to address the concern on gelling and hopefully give chances for the new ones to shine. The wingmen and frontline are not yet comfortable with the slack left by veterans Ramon Mabayo, Darryl Mendoza and Mike Cabangon.

New acquisitions Jean Mbe and Martin Antonio are tough men inside, but they still need some help.  The team has acquired the services of two more wingmen who we hope in time will learn the system of Coach Vic and eventually contribute by the time the summer tournament starts.

The backcourt can be something that the Olympians can be very vulnerable. Their point guards are adequate and not spectacular.  The game against DLSU saw them tumble in a maze of errors as the Green Archers showed them what a true pressure defense is.  The OLympians though learned from that the hard way as the Archers put the game away as early as the first half by leading 44-18!

Again, its still seven months till the NAASCU opens and a lot of things will still happen by then. I just hope that one of those things if for my Olympians to get their acts together. Lets hope for the best and take it a game at a time since its still a long way to go. Good luck Olympians.

Here is a link of how the Green Archers took the thunder away from the Olympians. 

http://www.greenarchers.ph/fr-martins-cup-archers-outlast-olympians/