ALL Adamson wanted was a fighting chance.
From the start up to now in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament, all coach Nash Racela wanted was for his boys to be able to compete all the way to a chance at the next round.
“Buhay pa kami, pumoporma,” he said, with the Soaring Falcons holding onto a 5-7 win-loss record.
As much as a surprise as it for Adamson to be in this position, University of Santo Tomas wanted to be in this place - a breath away from a return trip to the Final Four and once again gain respectability in the league.
“Lahat tayo, gustong umakyat sa Final Four. Ito yung pinaghandaan namin nang ilang buwan kaya alam namin na lahat ng ito, kailangang paghirapan,” said coach Pido Jarencio, with his Growling Tigers holding a 6-7 card.
Now, their fates once again cross paths, this time with heavy implications when Adamson and UST tangle on Saturday at Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
The 6:30 p.m. game is crucial for both teams, all the more for the Espana crew which understands that a win locks up the No. 3 spot for them.
But achieving that will be a tough task, especially with their San Marcelino counterparts holding the psychological edge after the Soaring Falcons took the 69-56 first round win vs. the Growling Tigers way back in Sept. 15.
It’s the thing playing in the mind of Jarencio, as he puts his boys to work, expecting solid showings from Nic Cabanero, Forthsky Padrigao, and Mo Tounkara.
“Basta kami, practice kami, scout kami, at tingnan natin. Bilog ang bola, mamaya maka-tsamba kami sa kanila,” he said.
Racela, on the other hand, has a bit of a leeway for Adamson with two more games still left in its schedule.
But of course, who wants complications right? And the Soaring Falcons want to take care of business and control their fortunes.
“We know that if we don’t do our part, it will not happen,” the soft-spoken mentor said. “If we want to advance, this is actually the game that we need. It’s not 100-percent yet, but that’s the game na kailangan maipanalo din namin.”
Adamson still has one last game in its schedule, a Nov. 23 clash against Ateneo, but the squad, Cedrick Manzano, Mathew Montebon, and AJ Fransman included, understand the enormity of this duel that they’d rather get this one and shoot for a sweep of their last two games rather than await the result of the Nov. 20 game between the University of the East against the University of the Philippines in hopes of a fourth place playoff.
FEU targetting yet another giant
Far Eastern University, on the other hand, is just rooting that none of the remaining teams breach the seven-win plateau, as it prays to the heavens to force a triple-tie or even a quadruple-tie.
The Tamaraws know that their Final Four dreams are no longer in their hands. That’s why for coach Sean Chambers, the bingo card is clear: for Adamson to beat UST, and then for UE to lose to UP and for Ateneo to beat Adamson in the last game of the eliminations.
Yet all of those may be thrown out of the window if FEU could not get the job done against No. 2-seed UP (9-3) in the 2 p.m. game.
It’s going to be a difficult draw for Veejay Pre, Janrey Pasaol, and Mo Konateh, as the Morayta crew shoot for the upset against the Fighting Maroons, who are roaring to bounce back after losing to La Salle, 77-66, last week and shape up to form heading into the postseason.
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