ADAMSON head coach Nash Racela lamented missing out on taking control of the Falcons' fate in the homestretch of the UAAP Season 87 race to the playoffs.
Given a chance to take the fourth spot in Final Four, the Soaring Falcons wilted under pressure as the Growling Tigers took a 75-49 blowout win and got an outright place in the semifinals in the process.
Ultimately, it was a 23-4 third quarter that turned out to be the Falcons' undoing in a game where they were basically beaten on both ends.
READ: UST books return to Final Four as Amiel Acido breaks out vs Adamson
“UST happened,” Racela shared after Adamson dropped to 5-8 with a game remaining in the tournament. “Alam naman namin na UST is a very explosive team. We struggled stropping them and we struggled offensively."
“We always tell [our players] na if you can't be good at both, at least be good at one but kanina, parehong wala.”
But all’s not lost for Racela and the Falcons, but sadly it won’t be up to them now.
READ: UAAP scenarios
First, they’d have to bank on beating the UP beating UE this Wednesday at the Filoil Ecooil Center, so the struggling Red Warriors will fall to 6-8 for the tournament.
Then they’d have to wrap their season up with a win over the Ateneo Blue Eagles to get a playoff with UE for the last ticket to the Final Four.
Such complication would’ve been avoided had the Falcons won against UST, as they could’ve easily ended at No. 3 with a win over the Growling Tigers.
But such is their hands that they’re dealing with now, and all they can do it is play it well and hope for the best.
“We told them before na we needed two wins to get to the Final Four, sana today and the next game would give us an outright ticket but since we lost, we still need two which means we need to do it the hard way,” Racela said.
“Only thing we can control is our next game. Even if UP helps us by beating UE, if we don’t win our next game, wala din.”
They’d have every reason to be on their toes when they play the Blue Eagles this Saturday, even though the boys of coach Tab Baldwin have long been eliminated in the tournament.
The Blue Eagles played spoiler to UE’s Final Four run by shocking the Red Warriors last week, and Racela expects the same intensity from this team.
“That’s how games should be played, regardless of what’s at stake, sometimes wala, sometimes meron, sometimes mabigat, minsan konti lang but you have to play your best every time and put your best foot forward and that’s what we expect when we play Ateneo,” he said.
“Hopefully we could do that para magkaroon pa ng tsansa.”
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