ADAMSON moved to a win away from claiming its first UAAP basketball crown across all divisions in 14 years after a 77-71 escape over Nazareth School of National University (NUNS) at the start of the Season 86 juniors' basketball finals at the FilOil EcoOil Arena on Sunday.
Vince Reyes' nine-point spree in the final frame (17 total points) erased a game-high 10-point deficit against a Bullpups side, entering its 11th title series in 12 seasons, that held control for the most part of the match.
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Another victory in three days' time will give the Baby Falcons their first high school crown since Season 56 (1993) under coach Charlie Dy, given how eight of the last 10 Game One winners eventually went on to clinch the championship.
But for Reyes, letting their guard down is the last thing they'll want to do in their potential title clincher as the Baby Falcons look to rectify their early-game lapses and complete a series sweep. This, despite a 3-0 record over NUNS this season compared to the Bullpups' 12-1 card versus every other team.
"Kailangang bawasan ang mga lapses namin. Kailangang ibalik ang teamwork at talagang makinig sa mga coaches namin at sa game plan po. Noong first at third (quarter), nawala kami sa game plan kaya naging sabog-sabog kami," said Reyes, who had six rebounds, two assists, and two steals on top of a prolific scoring night.
Adamson head coach Mike Fermin wasn't a fan of the Baby Falcons' 'over-eagerness' to hit the ground running in Game One and hopes that there'd no longer be an encore of the same mistakes for the rest of the series.
"Noong third (quarter), doon kami nawala sa sistema. We wanted to play one-on-one, which is hindi kami 'yun. Hindi 'yun Adamson basketball. I just told them going to the fourth na trust your teammates. Kung malas man kayo, trust your teammates and make good decisions," Fermin said.
The scores:
Adamson (77) – Reyes 17, Carillo 13, Medina 12, Bonzalida 11, Esperanza 6, Sajili 6, Umali 4, Garcia 3, Abayon 3, De Jesus 2, Perez 0, Tumaneng 0.
NUNS (71) – Akowe 26, Alfanta 11, Yusi 9, Tagotongan 8, Palanca 6, Cartel 5, Nepacena 2, Usop 2, Solomon 2, Reroma 0, Barraca 0, Herrera 0.
Quarterscores: 16-13, 37-39, 51-59, 77-71.
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