WILL there be a bonfire in Recto?
Bonfires have long been reserved for the biggest moments in collegiate sports, whether for championship celebrations or breakthroughs so rare they become part of a program's lore. The University of the Philippines once lit one at its Sunken Garden after finally ending a years-long wait for a win.
After its first win on the heels of 30 straight losses, University of the East now has its own reason to get together and ignite a bonfire.
“Yun ang biru-biruan eh. Baka meron na ngayon eh,” head coach Paulo Hubalde said with a laugh Saturday after he and his wards finally broke through against Adamson in UAAP Season 89.
READ: Finally, UE a winner once more after topping Adamson in grind-out game
Toper Lagat, one of the heroes of the long-awaited win, wasn't exactly ready to divulge plans, either.
“‘Di ko pa sure eh,” he answered while chuckling when asked by SPIN.ph.
But whether there is a bonfire or not, Saturday gave the Red Warriors something they had not felt in two years: the warmth of a win.
They had spent the better part of that stretch absorbing blowouts, coming agonizingly close, and wondering when breaks would finally go their way.
At long last, against the Soaring Falcons, the red-and-white put itself in position to embrace that warmth.
Hubalde sensed something early. UE came out firing, and more importantly, he saw a group that finally looked ready to carry the weight of its own moment.
“We started really strong. I saw in their eyes that they wanted it,” he said. “I told them, ‘You have to take it. It’s up to us. Control natin ‘yung destiny natin.’"
“Sabi ko sa kanila, ‘Hahayaan niyo bang manalo ‘yan? O ngayon, kukunin natin?’”
The Red Warriors answered the call.
JM Edoukou's clutch tip put the finishing touch on the victory and capped his 13-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Lagat and Mo Tanedo scored 14 points apiece.
UE Bomba detonates
For a program that had gone 30 games without a win, the final result carried far more weight than a single notch on the win column.
Hubalde had spent the buildup reminding his players that nothing was going to be handed to them.
“Sa buhay, hindi naman binibigay lahat. Kailangan mong i-earn ‘yun. Ganun din sa basketball, you have to earn it,” he said. “Until we win, no one will respect us.”
Now, UE has finally earned the taste of what it had long been craving
And perhaps that is where the real significance of this win lies, as it's the punctuation mark for a painful chapter and the jump-off point for a new one.
“Now they tasted the win, we are going to build from that,” he said.
Bonfire or not, the Red Warriors finally have something to celebrate. After two years in the dark, light is at long last coming through in Recto.
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