by Richard Jacob Dy
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After suffering its seventh loss, the UP Fighting Maroons is holding on to dear life and will have to win its five remaining games to cop a slot in the final four of the UAAP basketball tournament.
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The Maroons endured its second defeat to the De La Salle Green Archers in the second round of the games on August 10 at the PhilSports Arena.
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In the first three minutes of the UP-La Salle game, big man Magi Sison gave an impressive swat on an Archer attempting a facial shot. Four minutes gone, the bout resumed after timeout with back-to-back two-point shots by guard Martin Reyes for UP's early lead 7-5. Less than a minute left, however, the Archers ran a good defense and shot nonstop drops to own the quarter with a 12-point lead. Sison finished the period with a buzzer-beater, 9-19.
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Following a poor starter, the Maroons gained momentum in the second quarter with Kevin Astorga's consecutive two-point drives to basket. Forward Woodward Co and Reyes attempted to sustain the force but fell short with two missed shots. A three-pointer by Reyes impressively cut the lead to four ending the second half with a close 30-34.
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Reyes and guard Arvin Braganza worked impressive shots in the first three minutes of the third canto, but the Archers retaliated with more rebounds and a better defense, widening its lead to 9 points. Around five minutes remaining, Reyes scored a three-pointer to bring the scores to 38-45. Yet again, the Archers' counter-offensive three point shots matched Maroon guard Paul Sorongon's and team captain Jay Agabayani's two-point knockdowns to slam the period, 59-48.
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The last quarter saw Sorongon missing a lay-up midway and mishandling the ball outside the court twice during the period, limiting the chance for the Maroons to redeem itself. The team relied much on Reyes' two three-point shots for the last three minutes. The Maroons, however, missed another drop and the Archers shot an off-the-backboard for the last-minute play to end the game, 61-81.
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"We are the youngest team. [But] after a year, we are going to be a really tough team. We just have to continue getting better," said Coach Aboy Castro of the team's loss, adding that winning the last five games may still give them an elusive final-four slot..
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For their remaining games, the UP ballers are up against veteran teams from the University of the East,
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The Maroons suffered an earlier defeat in the August 7 game with the National University (NU) Bulldogs, 59-72.
