Green, Blue mix it up for glory, final slot

Philippine Star
Sunday, September 30, 2007

Archrivals Ateneo de Manila and De La Salle clash today for the fifth and final time in the 70th UAAP basketball tournament, disputing the right to meet University of the East in the finale.

Ateneo and La Salle students, alumni and supporters are expected to fill the Araneta Coliseum with the Blue Eagles and the Green Archers knocking each other out for the last seat in the best-of-three final.

The winner gets a crack at the crown while the loser hits the end of the road, joining UP, Adamson, NU, FEU and UST on the sidelines.

The Eagles will be riding the crest of Thursday’s 76-75 squeaker that forced the 3 p.m. Sunday blockbuster.

The Archers, meanwhile, draw hopes and inspiration from their previous Final Four stints where they have never ever squandered a twice-to-beat advantage.

“In a game like this, you wouldn’t think of momentum or anything else anymore. It’s all about who plays hard and who wants it,” said Ateneo coach Norman Black, who has won 10 titles in the PBA but never in the collegiate league.

“We remain confident despite the loss (Thursday). I have confidence in my players,” said La Salle mentor Franz Pumaren.

Ateneo’s Chris Tiu, 22, is a marked man after scoring 14 points including a booming triple and a gutsy lay-up with 7.3 seconds left to seal one of the most dramatic wins in league history.

Black said La Salle showed a lot of energy in the first game.

“They gave us much problem Thursday that we need to find solution if we’re to reach the final,” said Black.

La Salle, for its part, must get solid games from main men JV Casio and Rico Maeirhofer, who averaged 27 points together in 17 games this season but were held to just 18 Thursday.

Maeirhofer, who was named MVP in the Nike Summer League and Fil-Oil tournament last summer, was hobbled by an injury while Casio was a bit under the weather then.

“I expect them to play more aggressively tomorrow (Sunday),” said Pumaren.

The seemingly never-ending Ateneo-La Salle saga will be marked by a fifth game this season, matching their number of games five years ago when both reached the finals and the Eagles beat the Archers in three games.

The other time Ateneo and La Salle played each other five times was in 2001 when the Archers reigned supreme.

“Our focus right now is to win this one game, nothing else,” he said.

Black’s main concern is La Salle’s vaunted full court trapping defense.

“They played with a lot of energy. We hope they’ll have little left on Sunday,” he said.