Blue Eagles start season 75 with a win over Falcons

The New MOA Arena

The Ateneo Blue Eagles avenged their only defeat last year with a masterful 73 - 57 win against the Adamson Soaring Falcons. The Blue Eagles started the game like a house on fire as Kiefer Ravena, Greg Slaughter and Nico Salva opened the game with a 10 – 2  run. The Falcons then called a timeout to stem the tide and re group as the Eagles were threatening to blow them out in the opening minutes of the game. The result was quite rewarding for the Falcons as they employed a half-court double team on the Eagles which found it hard to rotate the ball which resulted in botched plays and missed field goals. At the same time, the Falcon’s Rodney Brondial torched the net by becoming the recepient of drop passes by Alex Nuyles. Nuyles would penetrate, attract the defense of Greg Slaughter and then drop it off to Brondial. This paid dividends for the Falcons as they countered with a paralyzing 14 -5 run to end the quarter on top 16 – 15.

Nico Squeezes in

The second quarter saw the Falcons race to a 20 – 17 lead as the Eagles faltered anew. After regrouping, the Blue Eagles through Nico Salva would match the Falcon’s out put and eventually get the upperhand after two quarters of action 32 – 28. The Eagles poor shooting was very evident while their defense was tentative. Brondial erupted for 13 points which was mainly on drop passes and follow ups which the Eagles failed to neutralize.  At the same time Nuyles who was the star in the Falcons win against the Eagles last year was playing decoy which was very effective for the Marcelino based team.

Introducing The comeback kid Ryan Buenafe

After the half, the Katipunan based team in Blue adjusted its defense which eventually led to a better free flowing game by the Blue Eagles.  In this quarter Alex Nuyles was now playing lead and was not satisfied to pass anymore. His jumper with 8 minutes left gave the Falcons a 35 – 34 lead. The Eagles countered  and Nuyles once again refused to let the Falcons fall behind as he scored on a nifty drive off Kiefer Ravena to make the score 39 – 42.  It was at his point that the Blue Eagles shifted to overdrive as two key assists by Ravena shifted the game’s momentum. Ravena drove to the basket then found Oping Sumalinog who sank a three pointer, after an Adamson miss, Ravena once again passed the ball to a streaking Greg Slaughter who scored on a left  handed lay up to give the Blue Eagles a commanding 49 – 39 lead.

Nico Elorde drew the hardest defensive match-up

but still shut down Alex Nuyles

The Falcons never recovered from that run, played catch up but never got things going. One adjustment that the Falcons failed to capitalize was when Coach Norman Black put Nico Elorde on Alex Nuyles. The Falcons never did fed the ball to Nuyles when he was posting and it was hard for the Adamson guard to score from thereon. At the same time the Blue Eagles put the cuffs on Brondial who never scored in the second half.  In the end, it was the defense of the Blue Eagles that triggered their offense which enabled them to coast for their first win in the 75th UAAP season. 

Greg Slaughter stood tall once again

The Amazing Jumbotron - HD Indeed

Individual Scores:

Ateneo 73 – Slaughter 17, Salva 14, Ravena 9, Sumalinog 6, Buenafe 6, TIongson 5, Erram 5, Chua 4, Gonzaga 3, Golla 2, Elorde 2, Porter 0, Pessumal 0, Lim 0, Capacio 0.

Adamson 57 – Brondial 13, Nuyles 12, Camson 10, Cabrera 10, Cruz 4, Monteclaro 3, Trollano 2, Etrone 2, Cabigas 1, Julkipli 0, Agustin 0, Abrigo 0.

Quarter scores: 15-16, 32-28, 55-45, 73-57

.

Intensi-5 

GLORI - 5; This is the Ateneo Way

The Alumni Eagles

The GLORI-5 fundraiser was one for the books. For one, the five-peat seeking Ateneo Blue Eagles is most probably the only amateur squad that is squared to give the PBA veterans a run for their money.  Imagine a team with the towering and intimidating presence of the 7 foot Greg Slaughter, the versatility of Nico Salva, the genius of Ryan Buenafe and the court smarts of a Kiefer Ravena. In fact, the Blue Eagles easily outplayed the SEABA bound Philippine team that had former Blue Eagle Chris Tiu and the hulking Marcus Douthit.  

The Phenom vs. The Magnum Force

On the other side of the fence are former Blue Eagles who have made a namefor themselves after donning the Blue and White. In fact this Alumni team’s roster is an assembly of players that played with the seven (7) Ateneo champion teams from 1987 to the present.  Playing coach Olsen Racela was a part of the first UAAP titles in 1987 and 1988. Enrico Villanueva, Gec Chia, Doug Kramer and Macky Escalona were all part of the 2002 title run of the Blue and White, a season that saw Villanueva win the MVP.  

The ASSOC Boys Rabeh & Eric

Rabeh Al-Husaini and Nonoy Baclao were part of the 2008 and 2009 title run where Rabeh was the 2008 MVP and Nonoy the finals MVP.  Rabeh followed suit the next year as he was adjudged the finals MVP in 2009.  Eric Salamat and Jason Escueta on the other hand played their last year in 2010 wherein Ateneo captured its third straight title.  Kirk Long and Bacon Austria on the other hand are the two who have just gotten their fourth straight championship ring.  

The Big Ols interviewed by GMA 7

Before the event started, the Ateneo Athletics office led by Mr. Ricky Palou and Fr. Nemy Que gave out the championship rings of the four- peat team.  The rings were provided by UAAP sponsor Uni-silver.  At halftime, the Ateneo Sports Hall of Fame through former Blue Eagle stand out Atty. Ogie Narvasa gave out plaques to the non players of the UAAP team namely the student Manager, Ballboys, Paulo Trillo, Debbie Tan, the assistant Coaches and Coach Norman Black. This event was also sponsored by San Miguel, Cravings and the newest energy drink Mr. Big Shot. 

The Ateneo Blue Eagles, Alumni Blue Eagles and 

the Jubilarians Ateneo HS 1987 

GLORI-5: Alumni Blue Eagles win

Olsen Racela - low post defender

Greg Slaughter is the most fearsome center in the collegiate rank today. Unfortunately, the  former UAAP  kings who once wore the Blue and White took turns in teaching him a thing or two when it comes to scoring and defense. Imagine 2002 UAAP MVP Enrico Villanueva and 2008 UAAP MVP Rabah Al-Husaini  playing together! The end result is a masterful 68 -63 by the Ateneo Alumni Blue Eagles as the former kings once again took centerstage in an event hosted by our batch, the Ateneo High School 1987 – this year’s Silver Jubilarians. 

Greg slams one in

Leading the Alumni Blue Eagles is playing coach Olsen Racela who was part of the1987 and 1988 UAAP champion teams.  Olsen started the game together with former three point king Rainier Sison who together with Gec Chia complemented the inside games of Rabah and Doug Kramer.  At the turn of the quarter came more problems for the Blue Eagles as Magnum Membrere, Bacon Austria, Macky Escalona, Jason Escueta and Nonoy Baclao showed their wares and the result was a 18 -11 quarter for the Alumni Eagles as the young Eagles searched for answers that did not come.

 Enrico Villanueva monster slam

The second quarter saw a more spirited Blue Eagle team as the comebacking Ryan Buenafe sparked a comeback that made the Blue Eagles equalize at 20 – all with five minutes left in the half.  Then Al-Husaini went to work once again and together with Doug, Gec, Magnum and Macky the Alumni Eagles would close the quarter with the lead 31 – 27.  During the quarter, Enrico Villanueva was warming up since he just arrived from his practice with Ginebra at the end of the first quarter which means more trouble for the Blue Eagles. 

Kiefer improvises

The Blue Eagles once again groped for form at the start of the third and who would have thought that Enrico Villanueva and Rabah Al-Husaini, two UAAP MVPs of different eras would be able to play together as one.  Remember, Rabah is the brother of Carlo Sharma who was Enrico’s nemesis in the 2002 UAAP Finals.  Both made matters hard for Greg Slaughter as Enrico would bump him and thump him whenever Greg was on the low post.  It’s just like one tough guy toughening up another.  Rabah would find the hoops again with his high looper finding the hoop which gave the Alumni Eagles their biggest lead  43 – 33 with 5:49 left in the third period.   The Blue Eagles once again came alive and after trailing 40 – 48 with 1:54 left in the quarter, the Blue Eagles with Frank Golla, Ryan Buenafe and Tonino Gonzaga closing the quarter with a 7 – 0 run to put the Blue Eagles within striking distance 47 – 48.

Rabah challenges Greg

The two teams eventually battled toe to toe in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter with neither team giving an inch or two. Then the Alumni Eagles waxed hot as they opened up a five point lead on a run presided by Eric Salamat as the Alumni led 60 -55. Salamat showed why he was once known in Katipunan as the man of steal as he stole the ball from Tonino Gonzaga, raced the  length of the court against rookie  Nico Elorde and gave a great pass to the trailing Enrico Villanueva who scored on a monster slam that brought the house down as the Alumni Eagles led 66 - 58. On the other side of the court Salamat’s former Juniors team mate Ryan Buenafe scored on a three point shot to cut the lead down to three points.That was the last stand by the Blue Eagles as Salamat closed the game with a dagger jumper off a pick set by Nonoy Baclao and the Alumni Eagles went on to win the game.

Mr. Comeback Ryan B.

There were 24 Alumni Eagles invited to the event but unfortunately the other eleven were not able to make it.  Larry Fonacier, Japeth Aguilar and Rich Alvarez had a game against JC Intal’s B-Meg team.  LA Tenorio (who by the way was the first to confirm), Eman Monfort and Chris Tiu were all carrying the nation’s colors in competing in the SEABA meet abroad. Jai Reyes is out of country playing in Bangkok, Ford Arao is injured and Wesley Gonzalez had to fly to the US on a family emergency. Paolo Bugia although injured was also there to cheer on and watch the Alumni get the win.

 Nico eludes defenders

The Ateneo High School batch 1987 mounted the event as a fund raiser for the Ateneo Homecoming on December 8, 2012. Part of the proceeds will also go to our beneficiaries namely the Tulong Dunong foundation and the Jesuit Infirmary. A million thanks to those who witnessed this once in a lifetime experience now were off to support our beloved Blue Eagles to the forthcoming UAAP. Ateneo -  Come Alive, Feel the Vibe, Glori-5.

The Blue and White Eagles

  

GLORI - 5

Season 75 of the UAAP is fast approaching and the Ateneo Blue Eagles open the season with much energy as they go on a historic feat to capture their fifth straight Men's title and eighth over-all. To launch their campaign, Ateneo High School 1987 has set up a fund raiser as the Blue Eagles go up against the Alumni Blue Eagles.  For four years the Blue Eagles have lorded it over the UAAP and they hope that in Coach Norman Black's last year as head coach they win their fifth straight crown.  Ateneo - Come Alive, Feel the Vibe ..GLORI - 5!

Lebron is now an NBA Champion

2012 NBA Finals MVP

Lebron James

Why do a lot of people hate Lebron James? Was it the transfer from Cleveland to Miami that people started calling him traitor? Kareem Abdul-Jabar also did that when he transfered from the Bucks to the Lakers and  in recent memory Shaquille O’Neal also did that but they never got the criticism and bad publicity that Lebron had. In his first trip to the finals in 2007 Lebron said he never really got the supporting cast that he needed to complement his game. Cleveland never surrounded Lebron with real quality players that made the Cavs miss the bus for the next three NBA finals in 2008,2009 and 2010.  Then came the time that he announced that he is transferring to the Heat to make his opportunities in winning an NBA title better.  Today, the promise is now realized and it just shows that his decision to leave Cleveland was correct as the Miami Heat closed out the 2012 NBA Finals with a masterful 121 – 106 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Durant dunks the ball

In closing out the Thunder, the real Lebron James came out as he put up an amazing peformance once again as he scored 26  points, hauled down 11 rebounds and issued 13 assists together with 2 block shots and a steal in an all around performance that gave him the NBA finals Most Valuable Player trophy.  Although his all around performance was the talk of the town, Lebron’s supporting cast was more than impressive this time around as Chris Bosh scored 24 points  got 7 rebounds and 2 block shots,  Dwayne Wade had 20 points, 8 rebounds and 3 block shots, Shane Battier was 3 for 7 from beyond the arc to score 11 points and the most important contributor off the bench was Mike Miller who scored 23 points on 7 of 8 shooting from beyond the arc.  Now that is what you call a supporting cast.

Lebron talks to Miller and Bosh

Kevin Durant was his usual self scoring 34 points,  hauling 11 rebounds but coming up with 7 turnovers.  Rusell Westbrook scored 19 points but was just 4 or 20 while James Harden came out from a slump to score 19 points.  Veteran Derek Fisher was 3 for 6 from beyond the three point line for 11 points but most of his points came from the time that the Heat were comfortably ahead.  Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins combined for 11 points which was not enough for the Thunder to come back in this game and series.

Westbrook disappeared after scoring 43 in game 4

The end for the Thunder came in the third quarter with 10:21 still on the clock and Serge Ibaka just cutting the Miami lead to 5 points 61 – 56 with an emphatic dunk shot. James missed a shot and Durant got the rebound and was poised to bring down the Heat lead to three points when he uncharacteristically turned the ball over.  In the return play Mario Chalmers sank a three pointer which was followed by another three pointer by Shane Battier to make the Heat go up by 11 with the score 67-56.  In the next few minutes the avalanche of points was so much for the Thunder to take as Chris Bosh scored 8 points, James 4 points and Wade two free throws. Unfortunately for the Thunder those points were not enough as seldom used and injured Mike Miller put up another three pointer to put the game beyond recall with a 25 point lead 88 – 63 as the Heat fans celebrated since the game result was moot and academic from thereon.

Chris Bosh saved his best for game 5

The Heat sank 14 of their 26 shots (53%) which tied the most number of three pointers in a finals which was done by the Houston Rockets against the Magic in 1995.  The triple double of Lebron in a close out game is the first since 2003 when Tim Duncan did the trick against the Nets. The Heat also became the third team to win the middle three games in the 2 – 3 – 2 finals format joining the Pistons in 2005 and the Heat of 2006.  This is also the first time that James, Bosh and Wade scored 20 points in the same game.

Game 5 was Miller time as 

Mike scored 23 points

Lebron can now receive lesser criticisms but only for the meantime while they are the champs and i guarantee it will all come back once the season starts once again in November. One thing for sure is that we are now in the James- Durant era in the NBA and who are the winners? The NBA Fans who hopes that this rivalry will go on for years.

James and Durant will be 

the cornerstone of the NBA in the years to come

The Heat is on...take 2 - 1 lead in NBA Finals

The Heat is on

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Derek Fisher scored on a four point play to give the visiting Thunder a 10 point lead with 4:33 left in the Third quarter.  Add to that the fact that the Thunder got their lead with Kevin Durant sitting on the bench and the second unit was able to settle in.  Unfortunately for the Thunder, the Heat came back with as the Thunder gave up eight free throws, a jumper by Wade, a floater and three pointer by Lebron James to take the lead and control in the game. The Heat eventually held on to a hard fought 91 – 85 win and take a 2 – 1 lead in the NBA finals best of 7 series. 

The Heat stopped Durant''s 4th quarter onslaught 

Unlike the first two games, the Heat and Thunder fought toe to toe with both teams getting remarkable runs with the Heat leading by 8 points but was quickly neutralized by the Thunder as the Oklahomans themselves led by as much as 10.  Unlike the first two games, the Heat completely stopped the rampaging scoring champ as Kevin Durant was limited to four fourth quarter points.

James on the move

The immaturity of the Thunder eventually showed in the fourth quarter as turnovers came from miscommunication that eventually cost them the game.  Durant on the other hand had eight possessions in the fourth quarter which resulted in either a blocked shot, a bad shot or a turnover.  The Heat defense locked down on Durant and the scoring champ was never the same.

Wade vs. Durant

Miami started the fourth quarter with four turnovers which allowed the Thunder to come back as they turned a 69 – 74 deficit to a 77 – 76 lead with Harden scoring 4 of the Thunder’s 8 points.  Then the Heat tightened up their defense and countered with two remarkable three point plays by Wade and James that was eventually enough cushion for the heat to win.

This series will go where these superstars

 will point their team to

The Thunder’s final heave came with Russel Westbrook cutting down the lead to one 85 – 86 with 1:30 left in the game. Unfortunately for the Thunder their immaturity came in as Tabo Sefalosha made a bad pass to the cutting Westbrook. Miami’s big three eventually sank 5 free throws to  ice the game.  With this much action, game 4 promises to be a better one.

Heat get back at Thunder ties series

James silences the thunderous thunder crowd

Lebron James scored on a bank shot and sank the insurance free throws in the last 90 seconds for the Miami Heat to steal one game in Oklahoma as the Heat beat the Thunder 100 – 96 to even the series 1 – all in the best of seven NBA finals.    Lebron James led the Heat with 32 points and this time he got ample support from his team mates as Dwayne Wade had 24 points, Shane Battier another 17 point performance and Chris Bosh 16 points and 15 rebounds as the Heat rebounded form their game 1 meltwdown. 

James and Perkins jockey for position

The Heat started the game like a house on fire as they raced to a 18 - 2 lead as James scored his fourth point on a hook shot with 4:51 to go to give the Heat their biggest lead.  Wade and Bosh also scored four points each while Shane Battier sank two three pointers for six points to give the Heat that lead. At the end of the half, the Heat silenced the crowd with a 55 -43 lead.   

OKC's big three

This time the Big Three of  Oklahoma came to play as sixth man of the year James Harden bounced back from his subpar game one performance as he scored ten of the 15 first quarter points of the Thunder. At the end of the second period Harden scored 17 points, two more than Durant and Westbrook combined as the hard starting Thunder found it hard to shoot in their hometown.  At the end of the third canto nothing much has changed as the Heat was still in command with a 78 - 67 lead and is waiting for another 4th quarter rally by the Thunder.

Bosh complemented James and Wade well

In the second half, Durant and Westbrook took matters in their own hands as the two combined for 35 points as the Thunder played catch up with the Heat.    Unfortunately for them, the Heat has learned their game one lesson as they stemmed the tide when Durant and company scored on a spurious exchange with Durant cutting the lead to two points on a steal by Westbrook and a three pointer by KD.  Durant, Westbrook and Harden combined for 80 points while James, Wade, Bosh and Battier got 89 of the Heat's 100. The final stance that OKC had was when Durant drove to the basket but missed his shot, Lebron scored the insurance basket in the return play.  

James scores

Now that the series is tied and both superstars have shown their stuff, the series proves to be the makings of another blockbuster NBA finish as the Thunder need to win one in Miami while the Heat is aching to finish the series at home. Let's see whose stars are brighter this time around.

Oklahoma Thunder overcome the Heat 105-94

The fans are always the winners

He is not the scoring champion for nothing as the three time ppg king scored 17 fourth quarter points to lead the Oklahoma Thunder to a 105 – 94 win in game 1 of the 2012 National Basketball Association Finals and take a 1 – 0 lead against the Eastern Conference Champs, the Miami Heat.   Durant’s scoring came in at the right time as he rallied the slow starting Thunder team who were down by 13 points at one point in the first half as they shook away the opening game NBA finals jitters and took the fight off the Heat in the second half.

Durant and Haslem battle it out

At the start of the game, the Heat made some defensive adjustments right away as Miami star was on OKC point guard Rusell Westbrook and Shane Battier on Kevin Durant.  Add to the mix the overexcitement of the Thunder and the result was a 13 point deficit as the KD and RW tandem found it hard to score and defend. But as I mentioned, these two teams does not have the word quit in their vocabulary as the Thunder defense zeroed in on the other Heat scorers which jumpstarted their offense with plenty to spare after the game.

Westbrook and Wade wanting the W

Kevin Durant and Rusell Westbrook combined for 41 second half points which was more than the Heat’s 40 second half points as the Thunder’s suffocating defense made life hard for the Heat to score.  The Thunder defense in the first half was quite loose which the Heat took advantage but in the second half the Thunder defense zeroed in on the others as Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers who combined for 23 first half points was helf to only six in the second half. 

 Durantula on the attack

Kevin Durant’s fourth quarter exploits is one for the books.  Shooting six of ten from the field, 1 of 3 from the three point area and canning all his four free throws Durant was like a man possessed.  From the looks of it this finals open up great performances from the tandem of Durant and Westbrook as Lebron James and Dwayne Wade would most probably get back at their tormentors.  Look for the finals to be more exciting than this first game.

Heat or Thunder choose your pick

Thunder vs. Heat who will prevail

The Miami Heat uncorked a paralyzing endgame run to beat the Boston Celtics in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals and book their second straight National Basketball Association finals against the rising men of the West, the Oklahoma Thunder.  The Thunder have already secured the first finals seat by winning four straight and ousting the San Antonio Spurs 4 - 2.  This epic battle is quite one for the books as the Big Three of Miami made up of league MVP Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh will go up against the big three of the West courtesy of three time scoring champ Kevin Durant, Rusell Westbrook and sixth man of the year James Harden. So who will take home the crown this year? Lets see.

Lebron has taken the lead for the Heat




HOW THE HEAT WILL WIN

Lebron James has taken over but his supporting cast has been lackluster. For the Heat to win, the whole team must put in better numbers since Wade and Bosh has been disappearing in most games.  The re-emergence of Bosh in game 7 showed that he is ready to push the big men of OKC out of the shaded area most specially Serge Ibaka.  On the other hand, the hot shooting of Mario Chalmers, Mike Miller and Shane Battier are key ingredients to spread the floor and give more space for James to do his stuff. Wade has to rediscover his shooting touch to be able to get the pressure off James. Bosh on the other hand must come out with his sweet shooting offense to complement James and Wade. Wade must be able to contain Russel Westbrook and more importantly make Westbrook bleed for points and keep in check while complimenting the team with his scoring.  Low scoring games will  favor the Heat. If this series goes the distance the Heat will definitely win it.

Call Kevin Durant Mr. 4th Quarter

HOW THE THUNDER WILL WIN

Like a bad nightmare, this team has risen from the dead more times than the zombies in the MTV of Thriller. The OKC Thunder has made a living on last minute rallies and they have ousted the last three Western Conference Champions to make their first finals berth.  The Thunder rely on the trio of Kevin Durant, Rusell Westbrook and James Harden on offense while Sergei Ibaka anchors their defense.  As long as the final buzzer has not sounded and the series is not yet over, don't them off as evidenced by their Game 2 win in  LA and their series comeback against the Spurs. Resiliency is what these young lightning bolts are made of and for as long as there is still some minutes left on the clock, their isolation plays and pick and rolls will do damage.

MVP or Scoring Champ?

What ever happens this match up will definitely be good for basketball since neither team will want to back down and the word surrender is not in both team's list of things to do.  Both teams has been down in their respective series and have shown that they can win on the road. Lets see who will come out better.

American Idol Season 11

I have never followed the American Idol until this season. I remember hearing Jessica sing "I Love You I do" a song from the Movie Dream Girls I immediately fell in love with her voice. Surprisingly I began to watch any chance I have and at times see videos in you tube of her songs.  In one time that I watched I was particularly amazed by the wealth of talent that other contenders had.  I got excited with Colton Dixon's rendition of Billy Joel's The Piano Man, got excited with Elise Teston's one of a kind performance of LedZep's "A whole lotta Love." Holly Cavanagh and Skylar Laine were also good performers and I really loved Joshua Ledet's versatility. Philip Philips came out on top but I really think Jessica was also there and gave Philip a ru for his money.  For me, this is video is the best performance by anyone this season as Jessica Sanchez sings with Grammy Winner and Broadway great Jennifer Holliday. I believe Jessica is the next Whitney Houston. Go make us proud girl.

Junior Olympians beat Blue Eaglets

Erven Silverie on the defense

In the 12th staging of the STI Basketball showdown, STI College Malolos point guard Carlo Jimenez and shooting guard Arvin Detubio combined to beat the Jim Lontoc and Kerjohn Baquiran led STI College Global City team.  The Malolos duo and the Global City tandem played remarkable games during that last game at the STI Gym which was a game worth remembering.

Jim Lontoc pushes the ball

The beauty of the STI basketball showdown is that it is a means to discover unpolished talented players as the four found their way to be members of the STI College Olympians Juniors team. As unpolished gems, the coaching staff guided these youngsters in practice and their efforts were rewarded as they combined to give the killer blows for the Junior Olympians to come from behind to beat the Ateneo Blue Eaglets 73 – 69 at the Freego Fil-Chinese Secondary Collegiate Basketball League at the Philippine Buddachare Academy in Quezon City.

Arvin Detubio rotates the ball to the other side

The Junior Olympians were playing catch up the whole ball game as the Blue Eaglets erected a seven point lead midway through the fourth quarter 62 -55 through the efforts of their young core of Third Ravena &, Mark Nieto, and the veteran smarts of Anton Asistio and Bolek Vitangcol. The Junior Olympians would eventually regroup to tie the score at 69 - all with less than a minute left in the ball game.  With the game on the line, Lontoc scored on a three pointer that silenced the Ateneo bench who was shouting DEFENSE.  The Blue Eaglets did not convert on their next possession and upon getting the ball, Arvin Detubio was fouled and he then iced the ball game with the insurance free throw to give the Global City based Junior Olympians their third consecutive win.  

Carlo Jimenez scores

The Junior Olympians also got good scoring support from veterans Erven Silverie and John Pariñas who was the other inside outside duo of the team.  Nino Romano and Carlo Jimenez orchestrated well while Patrick Aquino who was in foul trouble in the first half gave the ample inside support for the Junior Olympians.  Aquino eventually topscored with 20 points with most of the damage coming inside the shaded lane.

Erven Silverie orchestrates

The other other Olympians including 6-4 Cameroonian Fernando Ngolong and Josh Raymundo are steadily improving and are ably backing up the steady play of the veterans.  The two were also instrumental in coming up with good defensive gems during the game and are also excited to contribute whatever they can to make their play and the team better than last year. 

Patrick Aquino scores

Coming from different backgrounds, fundamentals and basketball knowledge, Lontoc, Baquiran, Jimenez and Detubio who were once out to beat each other are now together playing beautiful music for the Yellow and Blue of STI. The Junior Olympians are on a roll and the best part is that they are still not in peak form and should be improving come tournament time. GO Junior Olympians we are already proud of you do make us prouder.

Box scores:


STI COLLEGE (73) 
Aquino 20, Lontoc 14, Silverie 12, Pariñas 9, Detubio 8, Ngolong 4, Jimenez 2, Raymundo 2, Romano 2, Baquiran 0, 


ATENEO (69)
Nieto 17, Asistio 15, Ravena 12, Vitangcol 11, Puno 7, Nieto 3, Gamboa 2, Capacio 2, 


Quarterscores:  19 - 17, 31 - 34, 51 - 53, 73 - 69

Real life education from STI!!! Enroll now

What would be a suitable course for you

CLICK HERE