by rick olivares
It
was a very good win by Ateneo over Katipunan neighbor UP and over former coach
Bo Perasol. The two-game win streak prepares them for the final match of the
first round against unbeaten La Salle.
Why
good because of several things:
Chibueze
Ikeh was a huge factor in the last two wins. Against UE, he compiled 11 points,
7 rebounds, and 1 block. Against UP, he put up better numbers – 14 points, 7
rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block. As with the match versus the Red
Warriors, the second year center was a factor when Ateneo turned the game
around and when the Blue Eagles made its final run against the Fighting
Maroons.
Ikeh’s
activeness and willingness to engage inside the paint augurs well for Ateneo.
The two consecutive strong performances should boost his confidence en route to
another meeting with Ben Mbala.
The
inside game helped overhaul that small deficit and rule the battle of the
boards – 42-29 and 32-26 inside points as well as this – 14-6 in second chance
points. The willingness to take the game inside, a strength of UP, put them to
the test more so since they do not have a solid rim protector. It could be
Andrew Harris but more on that later.
The
consistent inside operators for Ateneo have been Mike Nieto and Vince
Tolentino. That activity coupled with Ikeh’s springing to life has been a huge
factor in Ateneo finding its legs after that stinging loss to Adamson.
Now,
as solid and active as Ikeh was, two other key components in Ateneo’s wins were
the performances of Thirdy Ravena and Anton Asistio.
This
win over UP was the most that Ravena was able to get to the basket since the
season opener against UST. Almost no one could guard him one on one. As it was
against NU, La Salle will look for ways to stop that drive to the basket.
Thirdy finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds to go with 3 assists and 1
block. Once he got going, so did the rest of the team.
Asistio
on the other hand, has been one of the best shooters in the league this season
aside from Adamson’s Jerrick Ahanmisi and La Salle’s Aljun Melecio. With his
range finder on, he’s been huge help in busting open that zone especially with
his quick release.
Since
the summer, under the baton of Tab Baldwin, the Blue Eagles have patiently
moved that ball around to work for the best possible shot. I appreciate that.
The man after all was a disciple of the triangle offense for the longest time
until he adapted some of the principles of the dribble drive offense with the
national team.
There
are times, watching the game versus UP that I why they didn’t immediately
attack the defense rather than waiting for that 3-2 zone and later man-zone to
settle down. But the Blue Eagles patiently found their way and on a couple of
occasions, answered the Fighting Maroons’ run with a more devastating one of
their own.
As
for UP, a couple of things…
They
lapsed once more into isolation and one-on-one play….
You
have to credit Ateneo’s switching defense for making life difficult for the
Fighting Maroons’ offensive-wise. They finished with only five (yes, five)
assists, their lowest dish totals of the season. And they were averaging 14
assists coming into this game. Again, a tip of the hat to the defense by
Ateneo.
Another
is the play of Andrew Harris. We have pointed out since the summer when the
Maroons came under the tutelage of Perasol that his strong play inside has
given UP another dimension. Since the start of the UAAP, we have not seen that
aggression. Oh, he tried in the first game against Adamson – you remember the
blowout loss – but he has been negated and his game once more regressing. His
minutes and numbers are all down.
The
Fighting Maroons have somewhat of a similar situation to Ateneo’s in which they
have not much of a frontline with a bunch of scoring tweeners. Except this is a
more veteran crew than the Blue Eagles. For UP to win, they need to play better
as a team and they have to have strong inside play and mind you, not only
coming from the drives of Paul Desiderio and Jet Manuel but the traditional
pound it inside guy. Harris was supposed to be that this year but it’s time to
call for an all-points bulletin for a person missing in action. You can say the
pre-season is the pre-season with far less pressure. Sure it is but you build
from that. You should.
More
to the inside game – UP attempted only 12 free throws (although they hit 10 of
them); a testament to their propensity to shoot from the outside. In contrast,
Ateneo had 30 attempts from the FT line where they cashed in on 22 of them.
I’ll
say this though, one concern I’d like to point out is that when some players
who can score a lot aren’t making their shots, they pretty much do not do
anything else. They don’t crash the boards, create plays, or even play defense.
So they become one dimensional, easy to guard, and an observer with the best
seat in the house on either side of the floor.
Now
for both sides, they have a tough wrap up to their first round – Ateneo, now at 4-2, will go
up against the heavily favored La Salle while UP, falling to 1-5, closes out against NU. How
they prep for those matches will be just as interesting.
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