FORTY minutes separate La Salle and the University of the Philippines from basketball immortality.
And both coaches understand the enormity of this final duel, with Game Three of the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball finals hungry to seize the opportunity to bring back glory to their respective schools.
“This is the second time we're going to play in a Game Three finals and at this point, it's going to be an exciting ballgame,” said Green Archers coach Topex Robinson.
“Whatever the result, that's going to be good for college basketball and Philippine basketball as well.”
“Alam namin na hindi pa tapos ang series. Ganoon naman talaga ang buhay. Kung minsan, it will go your way, minsan it would not,” echoed Fighting Maroons mentor Goldwin Monteverde.
“Ang importante kung ano ang ginawa mo to achieve yung gusto mong gawin. I think basketball is the perfect avenue for the players to be stronger and for them to learn.”
All-out, nothing left
Forget about the numbers. Both teams are expected to throw everything including the kitchen sink come the 5:30 p.m. game on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
La Salle is seeking to get one more superhuman effort from back-to-back Season MVP Kevin Quiambao just like how he did in its 76-75 Game Two escape.
READ: No more sleepless nights as KQ comes back to life in UAAP finals
But Robinson reminded that as superb as KQ has been, “KQ is just one of us.”
“When we were down and out, these guys just told everybody that just don't give up, just keep playing,” he said.
And boy, did the Green Archers not give up, rallying back from nine points down to start the payoff period and a 73-66 deficit with less than four minutes left to finish with a 10-2 rally and eke out the one-point win.
UP, on the other hand, remains defiant even after Francis Lopez’ endgame blunders cost it the game.
READ: Francis Lopez quick to move on after errors cost UP Game Two
“Ang pupuntahan naman namin is siya pa rin. Malaki ang trust namin sa kanya,” said Monteverde, well aware that the Fighting Maroons still have one more shot at winning the gold.
“It takes two games to win a championship. We’ll do our best. We’ll be ready and we’ll come back stronger.”
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