The Big Fat Kill
Ateneo 79 vs. Adamson 66
by rick olivares
A 9-0 record sounds great. There’s a hint of perfection. And there’s a feeling that the blue and white juggernaut will not stop until it has annexed the crown for a third straight year.
What being undefeated does not say that it can offer a false sense of security that everything will fall one’s way. Like dominoes. Or foils to the eventual coronation.
Against the Adamson Baby Falcons, as it was in the first round, the Ateneo Blue Eaglets struggled. It wasn’t so much that they were being stopped cold. It was as if they wanted to land the knockout punch early through an avalanche of points while their patented 94-feet of defense took a backseat. In the meantime, Adamson center Joseph Manlangit was having his way in the lane that Blue Eaglets head coach Jamike Jarin was burning holes into his centers with heat vision eyes.
Jarin read his team the riot act at the half. “Ayaw niyo magtrabaho? Yung gusto lang magtrabaho ang maglalaro.”
Consistency has been a Jekyll and Hyde act. They got up for the big games while a sense of complacency would descend upon them when they played the lower seeded teams. They’d coast or play awful for a quarter or a half where foes would battle them point for point. It was as if the opponents were being softened up for the big fat kill for come the second half, the Blue Eaglets would ratchet up the defense several levels higher and leave them eating the dust in their wake.
While Kiefer Ravena gets the lion’s share of attention (and rightly so since the kid is phenomenal), Ateneo’s success hinges upon the contributions of the entire team and some key components in particular. That’s forward Von Pessumal and center Paolo Romero.
Several games ago, during a similar horrid first half, Jarin asked Romero who was the toughest player he had to guard. “Kyle Neypes,” answered the kid they call “Roms.”
“And where is Neypes now?” asked Jarin.
“NU.”
“NU.” Repeated the coach for effect. “NU. So if the toughest player you had to guard is no longer here, what does that make you?”
Romero remained quiet.
“That makes you the best center in the league right now.”
Against Adamson, Manlangit, while no slouch, was looking all-league with 11 points and 5 rebounds in the first 20 minutes as he repeatedly slid inside the lane and launched shots with impunity. Even more jarring was the fact that the Baby Falcons were running Ateneo’s plays against them further enraging Jarin who thought that his players were being selfish and lackadaisical on defense.
A fire had been lit.
And the next time Manlangit scored there were only 21 seconds left and the Blue Eaglets were up 79-66 that would be the final score. Plus, he only had three more caroms.
From a 44-43 lead at the half, they outscored the Baby Falcons 35-23 the rest of the way. The Blue Eaglets hit 54% of their shots, grabbed 47-34 rebounds, and had more assists 22-15. Their 23-point explosion in the 3rd quarter rendered the outcome moot and academic as the lead went as high as 21 following a Chuckie Dumrique free throw with three minutes left to give Ateneo a 60-49 lead.
Pessumal scored 16, Romero 12, and Jay Sacluti chipped in 10 markers and two rebounds in nine quality minutes of action.
Ravena was spectacular as he notched the first triple double of the season with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists (and one steal and four turnovers to boot). During the second quarter as Ateneo’s pressure defense forced Adamson to cough up the ball, Ravena picked off a pass and raced quickly down. With the Baby Falcons unsure how to impede his path, the senior point guard stepped on the accelerator and swooped in for a flush that had everyone on the bench and in the stands jumping up and down. After the game and right before the team said its closing prayer, Jarin had to complement the slam: “Nice dunk, Kief!” he offered.
The team was now at a rosy 10-0. And as great as it sounded, there was only one thing that looked better. “Six more games,” reminded Jarin. “Six more games.”
Ateneo 79 – Ravena 22, Pessumal 16, Romero 12, Sacluti 10, Javelosa 8, Suarez 3, Vitangcol 2, Ressureccion 2, Lim 2, Puno 1, Dumrique 1, Mercado 0, Gamboa 0, Gadia 0, Austria 0, Tenorio 0
Adamson 66 – Manlangit 13, Mendoza 13, Saludo 11, Quinlog 10, Llauderes 6, Umengan 3, Hermoso 3, Villondo 2, Margallo 2, Domingo 2, Polican 1, Taguimacon 0, Soriano 0
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