Soaring eagles Champs buck scrappy Tigers for 5th title

MANILA, Philippines - Ateneo dug deep into its seasoned heart and poise and watched a fighting University of Santo Tomas side succumb to pressure and blow its most courageous stand in the playoff as the Blue Eagles nailed their record five-straight UAAP men’s basketball crown with a thrilling 65-62 victory before a roaring crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum yesterday.

But for three-fourths of the thriller where fortunes ebbed and flowed in every lead change, the Blue Eagles fought the inroads of pressure for an impending historic feat and played into the hands of the scrappy Tigers, who held their own and even dictated the tempo of the contest in yhe early goings before 20,186 fans clad in blue and yellow.

In the end, it was the Eagles’ championship experience and desire to stay on top of the league they had lorded over the past five years that spelled the difference as they cashed in on the Tigers’ woeful sniping and turnovers at crunch time despite snaring precious offensive boards.

Hardworking Juami Tiongson outshone his blue-chip teammates with a clutch hit in the closing seconds and an interception on UST’s do-or-die inbound in the dying seconds as the Eagles celebrated one of their toughest title-clinching wins the last five years.

Kiefer Ravena, a sophomore yet already entrusted with the ball at end game, fired 22 points, including a dagger step-back jumper that gave the Eagles the cushion for the hard-earned victory, a follow-up to their 83-78 Game 1 triumph for a sweep and the coveted “five-peat.”

“They (players) worked very hard for this and they deserved it,” said Ateneo coach Norman Black as white confetti fell and a throng of supporters celebrated the Eagles’ entry into the record books as the team with the longest championship streak since University of the East’s seven-title run in 1965-71.

Black got a fitting farewell before leaving the team to take the helm for Talk n Text in the Philippine Basketball Association.

“I didn’t do it, the players did it, actually,” said the multi-titled mentor, enjoying his victory ride one last time and booking a place in the company of legendary Baby Dalupan as the only coaches to win at least five UAAP diadems.

Ravena shook off his defender Clark Bautista and unleashed a jumper that hit nothing but net as the Eagles seized a 65-59 lead with 30.4 seconds left. 

But UST refused to give up as skipper Jeric Fortuna knocked in a huge trey to make it a three-point contest with still 19.6 seconds to go.

Missed charities by Tiongson opened up the doors for UST. Fortuna flubbed his try from beyond the arc, the loose ball going out of bounds in favor of the Tigers, 7.7 seconds left.The Tigers ran an erratic offensive with Bautista’s pass intercepted by Tiongson who dribbled out time as cheers from the Ateneo gallery erupted.

“Today was a great game. It really could’ve gone either way down the stretch and fortunately, Kiefer made a crucial basket that separated us,” said Black, whose team also slew the “Ghost of 2006,” the last time they lost a finals series, interestingly to the Tigers.

“Breaks of the game. Siguro para sa kanila talaga (But perhaps it’s really meant for them (Ateneo),” said UST coach Pido Jarencio.

Black and Jarencio, who engaged in a word war in the days leading up to the game, shook hands, hugged each other and exchanged compliments for a job well done.

Nico Salva, who was named Finals MVP for the second straight season, achieved a personal milestone by winning five titles during his five-year stint.

“This one’s the sweetest. There’s nothing like leaving the school with a championship. I never imagined to get five championships in five years. This is unbelievable,” said Salva, who described this as “the closest” in all their finals.

“This is really worth it. Talagang pinahirapan kami ng UST (UST made us work hard for it). They didn’t give it to us. Kudos to coach Pido, he did an amazing job all year round,” said Ravena, who also had five rebounds and three assists.

Fortuna scored 20 markers on three triples for his final game for UST.

The Eagles appeared on the verge of a runaway victory when Greg Slaughter (15 points, 11 rebounds) imposed his will inside to lead ADMU to a 59-51 lead, 6:43 left. But the Tigers countered to close in at 58-60 before squandering a possible game-tying basket or go-ahead when Abdul slipped and traveled.

Tiongson then nailed a shot-clock-beating running jumper to restore a four-point lead for ADMU before Slaughter’s split made it 63-58.