LA SALLE sent out a resounding statement to the rest of the UAAP when it came out on top against its Season 87 tormentors, the University of the Philippines.
In their finals rematch to close out the first round of Season 88, the Green Archers dug deep and edged out the Fighting Maroons, 72-69.
READ: La Salle frustrates UP to force three-way tie for third
After getting one up on State U in front of 11,654-strong crowd inside the Big Dome, head coach Topex Robinson wasted no time addressing the loudest and proudest naysayers of the green-and-white, especially after they lost Mason Amos and Kean Baclaan to identical knee injuries in back-to-back games.
“There are only two groups of people that has something to say about our situation: those who are feeling sorry for us because we lost two of our main guys, and those people who are counting us out because we’re undermanned and really being challenged,” he said.
“We always talk about better persons, better Archers. This is gonna be a character game for us. And just like we said, there's still a lot of games to be played. So this is not the end-all be-all of us,” he added.
In putting an end to the defending champions' four-game win run, Robinson and Co. just proved they aren't going away anytime soon.
“Yes, no Kean, no Mason, but also no excuses. I told them whatever the results for us, we just give it our best,” he said. “We know that we’re gonna be up against the defending champions, and it’s always gonna be a test of character.”
La Salle here to stay
And in its statement win, La Salle put on display its abundance of talent - which wasn't necessarily evident in the earlygoings, as all eyes were fixated on Baclaan, Amos, and another fresh face in Jacob Cortez.
“It really shows when things are not going your way, pinapakita sa amin kung paano namin lalabanan together yung mga challenges,” Robinson said.
As he recalled, when the team was formed, each roster spot was filled with the hope that the reserves could fill the void when one went down, even in the case of potent scorers like Baclaan and Amos.
“Part and parcel din doon is the way we prepared. Everybody really gets a chance to play, so they don't really get to lose their confidence. Isa din yun sa mga bagay that we’re trying to build din,“ he said.
“When we were structuring this team, I told everyone that you were not here by accident. So everything here is kind of structured in a way that if somebody goes down, somebody else will go up.“
Regardless of the result of their remaining games, what stays the same is the Green Archers' togetherness.
“We remind each and every one na pwedeng mapagod. Pwedeng magpahinga kasi somebody else will pick that burden for you. So that's really what’s shaping us right now as a team,” he said.
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