Kiefer’s revenge
n teneo- a alle game is never just an ordinary game. But this afternoon’s battle in the second round of the senior men’s basketball tournament is more e traordinary than e traordinary. lot is at stake in the 4 p.m. affair at the mart raneta oliseum. Both teams are tied with identical 6-4 records and a win will be a huge boost in moving closer to book a ticket to the inal our.
a alle and teneo are unbeaten in the second round so the game will mark the end of one streak. The Blue Eagles are coming off five straight victories dating back to the first round,
victimizing, in order, UP, 72-64, UST, 61-57, UP, 6759, Adamson, 79-66 and FEU, 92-73 while the Green Archers defeated Adamson, 70-69 in overtime, FEU, 75-66 and UP, 85-63. The stats show that in Ateneo’s last five outings, the Eagles held their opponents to an average of 63.8 points and in La Salle’s last three contests, the Archers gave up an average of 66. If that’s an indication, this afternoon’s game will be defense-oriented. The team that is able to consistently make stops will win.
Overall, La Salle is averaging 75.4 points compared to Ateneo’s 71.2. On defense, the Eagles are surrendering 67.5 and the Archers, 71.6. In La Salle’s six wins, the Archers gave up an average of 70.3 and in their four defeats, 73.5. The disparities in offense and defense are negligible, meaning the numbers don’t reflect a trend one way or the other. For all intents and purposes, the game is a toss-up.
In the first round, La Salle got the jump on Ateneo, 82-73, last July 7. But it was one of two games that Eagle star Kiefer Ravena sat out. Without Ravena, Ateneo went to rookie Chris Newsome who delivered 27 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 33 minutes. Juami Tiongson shot 14, Ryan Buenafe 11 and Von Pessumal 10. Almond Vosotros led the Archers in scoring with 19 followed by Arnold Van Opstal with 18, Jeron Teng 13 and Luigi de la Paz 10. La Salle had more rebounds, 48-32, and more free throws converted, 19-of-34 to 12-of-15. Ateneo had more fastbreak points, 15-6 and turnover points, 24-18. La Salle’s size made the difference as the Archers grabbed more offensive rebounds, 16-5 and scored more second chance points, 10-2. No doubt, Ateneo coach Bo Perasol will keep that in mind this afternoon as La Salle coach Juno Sauler will work on transition defense and limiting the Archers’ turnovers.
Ravena is out for revenge and that’s bad news for the Archers. He skipped two games in the first round, both of which Ateneo lost, but has slowly regained his form after suffering an offseason ankle sprain. Perasol patiently worked Ravena back into the rotation. After the La Salle loss, Ravena came off the bench to play 11 minutes against Adamson then 24 against UE. Since regaining his spot in the Eagles’ starting lineup, Ateneo is undefeated with Ravena averaging 15.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 30.2 minutes.
Ravena’s return has eased the pressure on Newsome, Tiongson and Buenafe who are all averaging in double figure points. Ravena makes Ateneo more dangerous on a slew of fronts. Newsome is averaging 12.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists. Tiongson is hitting at a 12.2 clip and Buenafe is averaging 12.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Through eight games, Ravena is averaging 11.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists, shooting .359 from the field and .550 from the line. Perasol has done a remarkable job in generating chemistry and creating an identity for Ateneo in the post-Norman Black era. It took guts for Perasol to move from the PBA to Ateneo particularly as he had big shoes to fill in the wake of the Eagles’ five-peat. But Perasol has proved his critics wrong.
Sauler, a rookie head coach like Perasol in the UAAP, succeeded Gee Abanilla only three weeks before the season began and had to scramble with twice-a-day practices to install his system at La Salle. It wasn’t easy molding the Archers into a cohesive unit right away with four rookies and starter Yutien Andrada out for the season with an ACL tear. Despite the odds, Sauler has managed to steer La Salle through rough waters. The Archers are deadliest when they’re playing as a team on both ends, sharing the ball, covering for each other in defense and attacking in transition. La Salle’s size and quickness are a rare combination. In the first round, the Archers blew late leads to lose three games, showing a lack of maturity, but since then, they’ve shown more mental toughness down the stretch, particularly in beating Adamson on a buzzer beater in extension and weathering FEU’s fourth quarter storm to win.
La Salle will miss guard Thomas Torres, serving a one-game suspension, against Ateneo. Veteran L. A. Revilla and rookie Kib Montalbo will take turns orchestrating in the backcourt. Four Archers are averaging in twin digit points – Vosotros (15.1), Teng (13.9), Jason Perkins (11.8) and Van Opstal (10.6). Sauler’s inside-outside firepower will be a challenge for Ateneo’s defense. Because of Ravena’s reemergence, this afternoon’s game will be a lot different from the way Sauler coached against Ateneo in the first round. That should make it an even more interesting duel. Ateneo’s level of confidence has gone up several notches with Ravena’s return and momentum is on the Eagles side but the Archers like their role as underdogs – they’re primed to overachieve.
A former varsity cager – he’ll remain anonymous for the time being – sent an email sharing his thoughts on the La Salle-Ateneo game. His thoughts are relevant for either side. He said: “Support each other, use your head, play smart, prayers before the game starts, you should all put your heart into it, focus and concentrate on the game. On defense, intimidate and talk to the opponent, make as much noise as you can, more so the guards, watch your man and not the ball, otherwise, your opponent will always be a step ahead of you and that’s all it takes to make a shot, never watch a game, watch your man as close as only a breathing space, keep your hands up!
“The first line of attack is transition… in a fastbreak, spread out to have better options, whoever has the ball stays in the middle, as you bring down the ball, if you can’t run the break, hold it and set the play, call the play, avoid too much dribbling, pass and cut, screen and slide, box out … after that, exchange high fives, shake hands with players from the other team and sing your school hymns.” Whether it’s Animo La Salle or One Big Fight, this afternoon’s game will be another for the ages.