By MARK REY MONTEJO
Despite battling mounting adversity, University of Santo Tomas has never lost its faith to once again rise and gain a shot at playing in the UAAP Final Four.
They lost four straight games that included two heartbreaking one-point defeats, but the Tigers persevered and fought tigerishly to end their misery – thanks to a 109-97 win the University of the East Warriors over the weekend.
And now the Tigers are back and raring to rumble again for a chance at redemption starting with their game against the Ateneo Eagles on Saturday, Nov. 15, in a game that is expected to rekindle the drama of their first encounter.
So classic the game was that the Tiger needed three overtimes – a first in a Final Four era – to prevail, 98-89.
But before taking on the Eagles, skipper Nic Cabañero took time to pay tribute to the team’s unwavering faith that kept them together as a unit in their drive for a Final Four berth.
With a 6-5 mark, the Tigers have a pretty good chance to playing in the semis, but Cabañero emphasized the need to stick together – like a glue.
“We have to be ready from first man to 16th man, isa din ‘yong ego, it’s not about me, (Collin) Akowe and (Forthsky) Padrigao, we have respect for one another. That’s how our coaches molded us, believing in us,” said Cabañero.
“Mentally tough talaga ‘yong nangyari samin na four-game losing streak. But we still believe that we can [recover] sa lahat ng chances na we just have to make sure that we will grab it,” he added.
“First off it’s a good win. I’ll call this a momentum boost for us, going into our other games,” said Collins Akowe.
“Credit lang din sa mga players namin na through adversity, they stick together. Kahit na mahirap, but they still naniwala sila sa isa’t isa,” said UST assistant coach Japs Cuan.
They also credited their improved free throw shooting for the win, as they made 24 out of 39 attempts – a marked improvement from a dismal 28-of-52 shooting during its 88-89 loss to reigning champion University of the Philippines.
The Tigers also played with better poise – especially down the stretch as typified by Cabañero, Akowi, Mark Llemit and Amiel Acido – a character that was lacking in their losses to Adamson and UP.
“I think ‘yong difference is ‘yong willingness nila no’ng end game, si Nic nag-take over sya, and of course ‘yong lessons din no’ng Adamson game at UP game na winnable,” Cuan continued.
“Sobrang sakit ng talo namin, but at the end of the day, we just moved on and as a collective group, we just have to bounce back and magtiwala lang sa isa’t-isa,” he added.
