MANILA, Philippines – The La Salle Green Archers, for the most part of the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament, have been rightly wary of every challenger in their path since winning the title the year prior.
Though they suffered a pair of losses against unlikely conquerors UE and NU, the defending champions have still been in tiptop contending shape for their repeat bid, led by incoming back-to-back MVP winner Kevin Quiambao and fellow Mythical Team returnee Mike Phillips.
Now locked in a finals rematch against mighty UP, the Archers remain light on their toes in their preparation, with no plan on getting caught off-guard despite sweeping their elimination round series against the Fighting Maroons with a pair of blowout wins.
The simple reason? La Salle hasn’t beaten UP at full strength since last year’s title conquest — a fact that did not escape Archers head coach Topex Robinson.
“What’s obvious during those first two meetings was, you know, UP didn’t have a complete lineup. I guess, that’s one thing we haven’t seen. Going back to our [preseason] meetings, they beat us twice. That’s one thing that we have to remember,” he said after La Salle ousted Adamson in the Final Four.
“If they’re gonna be a complete team out there, they’re gonna be…. Obviously, they came here as the No. 1 team. We’re just slowly catching up at the second spot,” Robinson continued in reference to UP, which is now on its fourth straight UAAP men’s basketball finals, and fifth in the last six.
True enough, in La Salle’s heated first-round finale last October 6, UP did not have veteran floor general JD Cagulangan, who was out with an illness as the Archers clamped the Maroons, 68-56.
Again in the second round, UP missed the services of another key piece in one-and-done big man Quentin Millora-Brown, who flew back to the US at the time to mourn the loss of his grandfather. La Salle handily won that rematch on November 10, 77-66.
Clear skies, stars all shining
While the Maroons are as deep as they come on paper, missing big cogs like those two against top-notch opposition like the Archers are certainly bound to tip a few results against their favor.
While Cagulangan tanked his field goal percentage with a horrendous 8-of-39 clip (21%) in his last three games, the Season 84 title-clinching hero still entered the finals with team-high averages of 11.3 points, 5.0 assists, and 1.8 steals, to go with 4.3 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Millora-Brown, ever the silent worker, averaged 8.6 points, and team-highs of 10.1 boards and 1.6 blocks.
Combine those two with other stars like lead sniper Harold Alarcon, high-flyer Francis Lopez, and fearless gunners Terrence Fortea, Gerry Abadiano, and Reyland Torres, and UP has itself an assembly line of standouts equipped to dash La Salle’s repeat title bid.
“Again, in this finals, it’s about how we’re gonna be prepared. We know UP is always gonna be all-out and they like to be the best that they could be, and this is just gonna make us better,” Robinson continued.
“[UP’s] gonna challenge us and as we say, we don’t really put so much on what the other team will do, but we’re just gonna focus on ourselves, and that’s what’s important for us.”
From the “Spitgate” to star-studded showdowns, La Salle and UP have had no shortage of storylines to keep fans tuning in to this new, white-hot rivalry.
Come Sunday, December 8, the Archers and Maroons promise more drama and action, this time at the fullest extent of their capabilities, as only UAAP fans rightfully deserve to see. – Rappler.com