National University Nazareth School avenged its first-round loss to Far Eastern University-Diliman with an 80-72 victory, while De La Salle-Zobel stunned Ateneo de Manila University with the same scoreline but in a wire-to-wire fashion, shaking up the standings in the UAAP Season 88 High School Boys Basketball Tournament on Wednesday at the Filoil Centre in San Juan.
With the Bullpups’ win, they now share the top spot with the Baby Tamaraws, both holding 8-2 records with just four games remaining.
“Masaya ako dahil nakuha nila yung challenge na binigay ko sa kanila. Sabi ko nga, yung ‘Dangerous Three’ nakuha namin kaya kahit papaano makakahinga kami ng maluwag pero hindi pa tapos. May mga remaining games pa kami,” said fourth-year Bullpups head coach Kevin De Castro. His team is riding a six-game winning streak, including key victories over University of Santo Tomas twice and Ateneo.
Meanwhile, the Blue Eagles dropped to third with a 7-3 record, while the Junior Archers climbed to solo fourth with a 5-5 slate.
UST, the UE Junior Warriors—who earlier defeated the UPIS Fighting Maroons, 94-61 —and the Adamson Baby Falcons, who lost to the Tiger Cubs, 75-73, are a full game behind DLSZ at 4-6.
“Just be 1% better—that’s all I’m asking from them. I can’t worry about the other teams right now; I have to focus on my own team first, and hopefully, the results will follow,” said first-year Junior Archers head coach Gian Nazario, also the lead deputy of Topex Robinson in the men’s team.
The Bullpups dominated early against the Baby Tamaraws, taking a 42-23 lead at halftime and extending it to 76-56 midway through the final frame.
However, FEU-Diliman, true to their season-long form, mounted a furious comeback.
Leading MVP candidate Cabs Cabonilas, along with long-time teammates Marc Burgos and Yosef Rañeses, sparked a 15-0 run capped by a Rañeses three-pointer with 22 seconds remaining, cutting the deficit to five points.
Clutch free throws from Mot Matias and Miekho Natinga, combined with a miss by Cabonilas, sealed the win for NUNS.
“Na-define namin yung mga roles nila at na-maximize na namin yung bawat isa. Mas naging family din kami. Sana magtuloy-tuloy pa,” De Castro said, reflecting on how the Bullpups overcame their 2-2 start.
“Very happy ako sa mga naging performance ng players namin. Talagang tinrabaho nila.”
Natinga came off the bench to lead NUNS with 17 points, including five triples. Shaun Lucido, the MVP of the inaugural UAAP Junior High School Boys tournament, and Corian Cabantog added 14 points each, while Matias contributed 12 points, nine assists, and five steals.
Cabonilas finished with 17 points, 16 rebounds, and three steals, while JB Cagurungan and Sam Hall added 16 and 13 points, respectively, for FEU-Diliman.
Meanwhile, the Junior Archers delivered their best performance of the season against their archrivals.
DLSZ took control early, opening with a 13-3 run and leading 48-37 at halftime. Ateneo narrowed the gap with a 19-10 third quarter, bringing the score to 58-56 entering the final period.
