Eagles, Archers duel for life, final berth

La Salle and Ateneo clash for the fourth time this season in what promises to be another thrilling duel between bitter rivals chasing a shot at the UAAP crown with the Archers out to finish off the Eagles and the latter hoping to force a fifth and deciding game.

After being swept by Ateneo in the elims, La Salle got back with a pulsating, 70-69, win last Sept. 18 in the first of a series of playoffs among three teams disputing the second finals berth after University of the East clinched the No. 1 ticket with a sweep of the double-round elims.

That victory over Ateneo gave La Salle a twice-to-beat edge for the No. 2 spot, relegating the Eagles to another knockout duel with the UST Tigers, whom they defeated, 69-64, last Monday.

But ranged against a team, which thrives on twice-to-beat advantage, Ateneo will need to outdo itself to force a sudden death for the No. 2 berth.

“We’ve proven we can beat them before (twice in the elimination round) so we’ll be out to beat them again. It’s going to be tough, said Ateneo coach Norman Black.

But the Archers have also shown they could win ballgames that mattered most, making them the slight favorites in the 3 p.m. encounter at the Araneta Coliseum.

One thing going for La Salle is that it has never lost when awarded a twice-to-beat edge, winning all eight in nine seasons that netted the Taft-based squad five titles since Franz Pumaren became head coach in 1998.

“Yes, so far it has never happened. Each time we were awarded the twice-to-beat advantage, we got to the finals,” said Pumaren, confident the Archers would keep that record intact this year.

But records have no bearing in La Salle-Ateneo duels with both teams dishing out their best in each encounter, particularly in this game serving as a do-or-die match for the Eagles.

However, the Archers are hell-bent on ending the Eagles’ title aspirations while keeping their bid alive on their return stint to the league after a yearlong suspension.

“We all worked hard for this. I don’t think my players will allow that advantage to be taken away,” said Pumaren, who is expected to bank on the likes of JV Casio, TY Tang, Cholo Villanueva and Rico Maeirhofer.

The Eagles, hoping to flaunt the fiery form they showed against the UST Tigers, are expected to be led by Chris Tiu, Kirk Long, Yuri Escueta, Claiford Arao, Jobe Nkemakolam and Zion Laterre.