The green and blue rivalry continues in the UAAP Season 72 juniors’ wars.
De La Salle-Zobel outsteadied rivals Ateneo, 57-53, to force a deciding Game 3 in their championship series Tuesday at The Arena in San Juan.
Gwyne Capacio once again stood at the forefront of the Junior Archers’ attack, firing 19 points and drilling in two free throws in the dying seconds to facilitate their come-from-behind win that extended the series.
Fil-German Arnold Van Opstal added 10 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks while Nico Elorde chipped in nine points for the Junior Archers, who will dispute the title with the Blue Eaglets on Thursday, 11 a.m. at the Araneta Coliseum right before the seniors’ finals between Ateneo and University of the East.
De La Salle-Zobel was down by eight points, 51-43, but the Junior Archers finished the game with a 14-2 blast, thanks to their all-around effort.
The De La Salle-Zobel cagers also shut down Ateneo’s Kiefer Ravena, who only scored 11 points. It was a far cry from the 33 markers he put up in Ateneo’s 80-73 triumph in Game 1.
“It’s team defense," said De La Salle-Zobel coach Boris Aldeguer. “Kiefer can’t beat us all by himself so it was more of a team effort."
Ateneo’s Al Bugarin knocked in a jumper to give the defending champion Eaglets a 53-51 upperhand after De La Salle-Zobel scored nine consecutive points to knot the count.
That was the last time the Blue Eaglets tasted the lead as Van Opstal tied the game on a jumper with 1:13 left.
After an empty play by Ateneo, Mark Herrera was fouled by Bugarin and scored two go-ahead free throws for La Salle with 33.7 seconds to go.
On the next play, Ravena missed on a drive before Capacio canned the game-clinching charities.
The Junior Archers regained their form after a two-week break after tropical storm “Ondoy" postponed the game twice.
“We had a long layoff. The players were excited before the finals. But then, the game was postponed twice. It was to the advantage of Ateneo because they came from a grueling series. For us, it was about getting back to form," said Aldeguer, who returned to the Zobel sidelines this season after being an assistant coach with San Miguel Beer.
De La Salle-Zobel shaved their heads after the Game 1 loss, a sign of solidarity among the players.
“I told them that it’s not just shaving their heads, it’s about making a commitment," said Aldeguer, also the coach of the University of Perpetual Help System Dalta in the NCAA.
Raphael Banal, son of former Ateneo coach Joel Banal, had 19 points while Bugarin added 11 points and 19 boards for the back-to-back-seeking Blue Eaglets.
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