by rick olivares
It turns out, Yayoy Alcoseba wasn’t bluffing. His
Southwestern University Cobras have indeed made a statement.
Down by five points, 77-72, to the erstwhile unbeaten
Perpetual Help Altas with 1:22 left in the game, rookie guard Antonio Pardo
drilled a three-pointer to cut the deficit to two. The Altas’ Harold Arboleda tried
to get it back but his three clanged off the front rim.
In their next possession, the Cobras threw the ball
into the post to Cameroonian center Landry Sanjo quickly spun around Arboleda
for a lay-in to notch the count with 32 seconds to play.
After Perpetual called for time, Arboleda drove to
the basket where Sanjo blocked him. After a brief battle for the loose ball,
the Altas’ Juneric Baloria emerged with the ball but Sanjo also rejected his
short stab.
The ball was pitched forward to Pardo who instead of
driving towards the basket, pulled back to wait for point guard Mark Tallo.
With five seconds left to play, Tallo, who had hit three of seven shots from
beyond the arc, drew two defenders. He whipped the ball over to Pardo who had
drifted over to the left side. Unguarded and with a second to shoot, the rookie
out of Ateneo de Zamboanga let loose. It was a buzzer-beating game winner, 79-77.
Alcoseba pumped his fist in elation.
“This win is for all Cebuanos,” proclaimed SWU’s coach
after the Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup match. “I am happy and excited because two wins in Manila is a
bonus.”
For a while there, the Cobras were staring at a loss
against the “upset” conscious Altas. Even at 3-0, Perpetual Help were still the
underdogs. Their double-teaming schemes and tough play kept them in the game
and put them in a position to win it. In the previous days leading up to the
match, Perpetual’s head coach Aric del Rosario spoke of the need of the bench
to show up. In their first three games, their Fab Four of Juneric Baloria,
Justine Alano, Harold Arboleda, and Earl Thompson had scored 90% of their
team’s points.
In a bid to keep that four on the floor and foul free,
del Rosario had Baloria come off the bench. Ric Gallardo had the honor of
guarding the high leaping and highly physical Sanjo while Flash Sadiwa was to
run the point. But it will take more than a few hair highlights for Sadiwa to
replace former point guard Jet Vidal who was the Altas’ primary outside threat
when he was still wearing a UPHDS jersey.
Gallardo was clearly manhandled in the first period
as he racked up three quick fouls against Sanjo. Nestor Bantayan the second of
del Rosario’s three-headed monster (the third was Kevin Oliveria) set to
contain Sanjo and alternate Justine Aboude, had a modicum of success against
the foreign players. The aptly named Bantayan, in his six short minutes on the
floor, scored four points and elicited two fouls on Sanjo.
But there’s a price to pay for double or
triple-teaming Sanjo or a big man who can put that ball in the basket… someone
is going to be left open.
One fundamental difference in this year’s SWU team as
compared to last year’s squad is they have three very good shooters arrayed
around the arc in Mark Tallo, Jasper Parker, and Antonio Pardo.
Tallo is a markedly improved player from last season
where he oft turned the ball over and wasn’t consistent offensively. Version
2.0 is dangerous as he can shoot and recognize open teammates. He’s also
heftier and can take a hit and still finish.
Parker – these are bold words here – could be the
second coming of Jimmy Alapag. He shoots with his feet squarely planted. He has
a quick first step. He’s got a medium range shot and can drive hard to the
basket. JR as he is nicknamed, foreshadowed Pardo’s endgame heroics with a
bucket at the buzzer to end the first half, 42-38, Perpetual Help.
Pardo… well, he’s shooting 50% from the three-point
arc at 7-14 (he’s at 23% from medium range though). He’s a threat much like
Matt Salem is for La Salle with his instant offense. He doesn’t get too many
touches but he’s always ready to take the shot.
And SWU hit 7-18 three-pointers and as a team, they
made good on 46% of their field goals.
As for Perpetual, they didn’t get the usual output of
their Fab Four but as Del Rosario hoped, the bench came up big.
Team
|
Points in
the Paint
|
SWU
|
26
|
Perpetual Help
|
28
|
Unlike their spirited defense and attack on UE’s duo
of Charles Mammie and Moustaph Arafat, the Altas looked a little tentative if
not lacking in . There wasn’t any of those dagger looks or stare downs that
Justine Alano and Juneric Baloria gave opposing players in their previous three
matches.
Although the Altas Fab Four combined for 56 points,
they did get 21 points from other players.
Stats-wise, both teams were more or less even.
Team
|
Free
Throws
|
Rebounds
|
Assists
|
Steals
|
Blocks
|
SWU
|
14-24
|
45
|
15
|
1
|
7
|
Perpetual Help
|
24-28
|
49
|
15
|
2
|
2
|
So how did this result come about?
The SWU Cobras went back to what worked well in the
first half.
At the 1:42 mark of the fourth period, Sanjo noticed
that Arboleda was busy directing their man-zone. Arboleda took his eye off
Sanjo for a split second and the Cobras’ center immediately drove hard for a
bucket that cut Perpetual Help’s lead down, 74-72.
Sanjo blocked Alano in the Altas’ next possession but
the ball remained with Perpetual Help.
For the third time in the game, the Altas went to
their nakaw play with the inbounder finding Earl Thompson open at the right
corner pocket. It was a huge trey that could have knocked the sails out of SWU.
But that double team and slow rotation to the open man saw Pardo hit that huge
trey.
After that botched trey by Arboleda and with only
single coverage, Sanjo attacked inside again for the equalizer.
At this point, I was surprised that the ball wasn’t
going to Baloria; after all, he scored eight points in the fourth period.
In that final play with 32 seconds left, del Rosario
was screaming, “Kay Balo! Kay Balo!” But Arboleda drove.
They should have learned their lesson.
On a half court set without much space for Baloria to
create, Perpetual Help had a tough time driving to the basket. That was evident
even back in the first period when Thompson drove with Sanjo fully set to block
him. The Cameroonian sent the ball to the outside along the sidelines!
Arboleda had no confidence in that drive and lofted
it right into Sanjo who emphatically erased it. Baloria was underneath the
basket and no man’s land when Sanjo rejected his shot.
And that was it.
There are a lot of positives to take away from the
match even for Perpetual Help. These guys can compete. If they only had a real
stud of a center they would be favorites to compete for the NCAA crown.
Now SWU looks good heading back to Cebu with four
matches to play there.
Statement indeed.
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