FOR most of the UAAP Season 85, Adamson had had to rely on the brilliance of Jerom Lastimosa to scrape through some tough wins.
But with the season on the line, Lastimosa was more than willing to step back in the endgame as he let his teammates make the biggest shots late in a 80-76 thriller over La Salle that enabled the Falcons to join Ateneo, University of the Philippines and National University in the Final Four.
[READ: Japan B.League team eyes Jerom Lastimosa]
After going an a personal 11-0 run in the third that turned a 56-46 deficit into a one-point Adamson lead, Lastimosa didn't take a single shot as he deferred to teammates Lenda Douanga, Joshua Yerro and Joem Sabandal who wrapped up the Falcons' first appearance in the Final Four in four years.
But don’t mistake his lack of attempts as a shortcoming, as the way he pulled the defense around him and his heady playmaking opened the doors for his teammates in the endgame.
“Sabi ko nga kay Jerom, ‘Takeover na. Ikaw na ang [go-to-guy] eh,’ sabi ko, ‘Laruin mo na.’ But nilaro niya ng tama, and that’s actually the reason why I’m so happy, kasi nilaro niya ng tama,” Adamson coach Nash Racela said.
Lastimosa finished with 22 points and six assists. He didn't score in the fourth quarter until he hit two from the free throw line to ice the game in the end.
The 5’10 guard from Dumaguete said he was advised by his coach to trust his teammates more, and he didn’t think twice by willingly giving up the ball.
“Sabi nga ni coach sa akin nung fourth quarter, trust your teammates. So mga last five minutes parang, spot up spot [lang ako], pinpasa ko na lang sa teammates ko kasi yun nga, nagtitiwala ako sa kanila.”
For Racela, seeing the other guys step up in the endgame could be the solution to their season-long issues, as they’ve been often seen as a one-man team behind Lastimosa.
“Other guys really stepped up. Yeah, that's basketball. Hindi talaga isa eh, kailangan rin yung iba. That was our main problem, at the start of the season. Lahat ng storya niyo ayun eh no? Si Jerom, Jerom, Jerom, wala na,” he said.
“At least, I don't know if they read your [stories], I'm sure they read it because they like social media but yeah, at least now, ibang tao yung nagco-contribute. That will help us moving forward.”
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