National University-Nazareth School opened its UAAP Under-16 boys’ basketball tournament title defense in dominant fashion, scoring a wire-to-wire 100-75 win over the University of Santo Tomas on Saturday, Aug. 15, at the FEU-Diliman Gym in Quezon City.
University of the East, meanwhile, also impressed with a 91-66 victory over University of the Philippines Integrated School in the tournament opener.
Fielding a completely new lineup compared to the Bullpups squad that swept last year’s tournament, Leo Pujante had to tweak his system, going from having an imposing big man in Moussa Diakite to having a plethora of shooters.
“Mas madami kaming shooters ngayon, pati ako nahirapan nga i-rotate mga wings ko,” said Pujante as the Bullpups knocked down a total of 11 triples in the contest.
Andrie Lopez scored 19 points on two triples to lead the way for the Bullpups, while Martin Macoy nailed five threes for 17 points.
But it was 6-foot-2 winger Jesse Arellano who shone brightest, tallying a triple-double of 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists to go with seven steals.
“Nung nakalaban ko team niya sa PSAA, kinausap ko kagad,” Pujante recalled about the first time he met Arellano, who was then playing for a club in Antipolo.
“Alam ko magiging special siya. Kahit wala na si Moussa, may Fil-Am naman kami ngayon.”
NUNS wasted no time pushing the pedal against UST, racing to a 29-9 lead.
The Bullpups’ cushion grew to as high as 41 points, 73-32, after an Arnold Flores basket midway through the third quarter.
It was the same story for the Junior Warriors, who raced to a 20-8 start and never looked back against a nine-man Fighting Maroons team.
“Slightly happy but we still have bad habits that we will try to address. Beyond the wins and losses, ang hinahanap namin dito is how they will rise through adversities,” said new Junior Warriors head coach Paulo Hubalde, who replaced Matthew Sia during the offseason.
Four Warriors scored in double figures, led by Xerone Dizon with 18 points. Odrie Mallabo added 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Jaden Roxas and Jayson Mercado chipped in 13 and 12 points, respectively. Mercado also grabbed eight rebounds.
“We started from the ground up talaga. Nagpatryouts tayo sa provinces, tinry natin mabuo yung core ng team. Beyond the way they play, we wanted players who play the right way,” Hubalde said of his squad, which has Mercado as its lone holdover from last season.
Ateneo versus De La Salle-Zobel and Adamson versus FEU-D were still ongoing as of publishing.
While many view this season as a wide-open race, Pujante had this to say.
“Sabi nila yun e,” he quipped.
For UST, Miguel Austria paced the team with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Nicolai Cabañero, the 12-year-old brother of former Growling Tiger Nic and current Tiger Cub Andwele, scored 14 points with five assists and four steals.
Kean Poquiz was the lone double-digit scorer for the Maroons with 27 points.
The Scores:
First Game:
UE 91 – Dizon 18, Mallabo 16, Roxas 13, Mercado J. 12, Mercado K. 8, Aguilar 7, Pontipedra 4, Redulfa 4, Sena 3, Delos Santos 2, Ancheta 2, Riparip 2, Velayo 0, Apostol 0, Maddara 0, Radin 0.
UPIS 66 – Poquiz 27, Bautista 8, Lugatiman 8, Santos 7, Floirendo 7, Labao 5, David 4, Sebastian 0, Romey 0.
Quarterscores: 28-13, 55-28, 75-51, 91-66.
Second Game:
NUNS 100 – Lopez 19, Arellano 18, Macoy 17, Flores 9, Enriquez 8, Dalanan 6, Mayor 5, Genido 4, Cano 4, Javier 2, Geron 2, Pangan 1, Garcia 0, Osorio 0.
UST 75 – Austria 16, Cabañero 13, Bathan 11, Anggot 8, Olango 8, Retaga 6, Esusan 4, Cuello 3, Duenas 3, Abototo 2, Collado 0.
Quarterscores: 33-13, 64-28, 83-56, 100-75.
