UST SECURES FINAL FOUR BERTH
By: Joaquin Cortez
The Strong Group-backed University of Santo Tomas Tiger Cubs continued their dominant run in the UAAP Season 88 Junior High School Basketball Tournament, overpowering Ateneo de Manila University, 100-81, on Saturday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
UST built an early lead and never looked back, racing to a 43-23 advantage at the 6:07 mark of the second quarter behind key baskets from Wayne Anggot, Miguel Jubilado, CJ Tabbuga, Hanns Villacarlos, Dave Regala, Dats Datu, and Rowie Cabañero.
The Tiger Cubs maintained control throughout the second half, stretching their lead to a peak of 76-52 with 2:09 left in the third quarter on a Tabbuga layup assisted by Cabañero.
“Maganda yung nilaro ng mga players today,” said UST coach Noli Mejos. “Good preparation ito for our next game kasi last two games namin ay crucial. Masaya ako dahil pinakita nila yung preparation namin. Lumabas yung laro nila, nag-prepare kami at naging positive ang reaction sa game today.”
Tabbuga led UST with 27 points and eight assists, while Castro added 18 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks. Other notable contributors included Regala (13 points, nine rebounds, three steals), Anggot (13 points), and Cabañero (10 points, 11 rebounds).
The starters—Tabbuga, Castro, Anggot, Cabañero, and Jubilado—scored 74 of the team’s points, out-rebounded Ateneo 60-43, and connected on 8-of-30 from three-point range compared to the Blue Eagles’ 1-of-18.
Meanwhile, defending champion University of the East struggled to keep pace with National University Nazareth School (NUNS) Bullpups in an 83-64 defeat, dropping their record to 7-6 and leaving their semifinal hopes hanging in the balance.
The Strong Group-powered Junior Warriors stayed within striking distance early, trailing 45-38 at the start of the third quarter, but a 14-0 run by Mark Arzola, Moussa Diakite, Dean Tria, and David Sabareza put NUNS firmly in control, stretching the lead to 59-38 with just over six minutes left in the period.
Jaypee Yanga, who did not play in the first half, came off the bench and went a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, finishing with 12 points and four rebounds as the Bullpups extended their advantage to as much as 81-50 with under four minutes remaining.
UE’s depth could not match NUNS’ balanced attack, as the Bullpups’ bench contributed 43 points compared to UE’s 11. Inside the paint, the Junior Warriors were also outmuscled, scoring only 34 points to NUNS’ 58.
“Di kami makapagsagawa ng sapat na adjustment sa third quarter,” admitted a UE coach. “We struggled to stop their runs, but the players gave their all. We’ll take the lessons from this game and focus on bouncing back in our next matches.”
Zion Aguilar led UE with 19 points, Goodluck Okebata added 13 points and six rebounds, and Mark Perdigon chipped in 10 points and four rebounds. The Junior Warriors remain fourth in the standings with a 7-6 record.
