Neutralized: AdMU vs. SSC-R (2011 PCCL Finals)

Ateneo 56, San Sebastian 51
Blue Eagles force do-or-die Championship Match


Ateneo 67, San Sebastian 73
Golden Stags win PCCL Championsip


-All throughout, it has been a battle of wills. On one hand, the Ateneo Blue Eagles and their followers sought for validation to something that has been already proven valid from the start. They have been crowned as champions in the Fil-Oil Pre-season tournament, the UAAP, and the Unigames, and one more big trophy in the shelves would not only be a proof as the most dominant team in the major leagues right now, but also, and to put an emphasis to it, inarguably such. On the other hand, the Golden Stags sought redemption. Despite boasting the best big three in the Metro in the likes of Calvin Abueva, Ian Sangalang, and Ronald Pascual, they fell short of a championship when the Red Lions, short of a Sudan Danel, held their ground in the last quarter of Season 87. Now being presented with the chance to show how they can fare with a champion of another league, and proving that they can be dominant. And it appears that between the two, the Stags wanted it more as they did not let a defeat against the Blue Eagles blur their vision of getting a trophy this year.

-Ateneo entered the PCCL Finals losing twice against the Golden Stags, and another loss would mean that Coach Topex Robinson's team would win the plum. The Blue Eagles responded in the first game when they tried to break the zone defense that cost them a week earlier. Nico Salva took care of the Blue Eagles' offense when he found the hole in that zone. Finishing with 18 points, he led Ateneo to a decider, a chance for them to get their fourth straight PCCL championship. However, during the second game, Calvin "The Beast" Abueva was scorching hot, as he made his way into two, three, or four Blue Eagles to make baskets or free up his teammates, and he finished with an impressive 20-point, 20-rebound effort for the Golden Stags' victory.

-For these two teams, two things have been significant. One of them was the battle of the top dogs. Ateneo has its Slaughter-Ravena-Salva trio, while San Sebastian only has Calvin Abueva and Ian Sangalang, missing Ronald Pascual due to ACL, and their defense was mostly about trying to neutralize these players and at the same time put the pressure on the rest. In Ateneo's game one win, the trio scored a total of 35 points, while SSC-R's duo had 27 of their own. But in Game 2, the tables have turned. While Salva has become dominant in the first game, Ravena and Slaughter had great difficulty scoring, resulting in a dismal performance. The trio only scored only 22 points, a far cry from their 30-plus averages in the UAAP. Subtract two more from this total and one gets Abueva's score alone, and add that to Sangalang and you get a whopping 39 points. These figures simply showed who has been the most dominant in that final match.

-The other significant thing was defense. Ateneo entered the Finals being branded as the best defensive squad in the UAAP. However, the fortress that they have held was destroyed repeatedly by Calvin Abueva's tough and intelligent plays, muscling it in to force Ateneo's men in the paint to swarm on him and hence provide open shots for Sangalang, Semira, and the rest of t Stags. On the other end, the Stags 2-3 zone implemented against the Blue Eagles was near perfect, as they had the Blue Eagles struggling to score from the paint and forcing them to shoot threes that were rarely perfect. Plus, they had a lot of those timely steals which forced crucial turnovers down stretches, something that the Blue Eagles really never encountered while playing in the UAAP.

-As Coach Norman Black says, the Blue Eagles just can't win it all. However, Ateneo, in another way, could be considered a winner in this match, as they have seen this early the adjustments and improvements they have to deal with in order to make it big once again in Season 75. From the guys on the bench, it seems that JP Erram and Oping Sumalinog will play during longer stretches, proving themselves to be effective on defense (the latter, especially, got the job of guarding Abueva in the first match).  On the other hand, Juami Tiongson might give way for Nico Elorde for playmaking duties to focus on scoring where he is really good at. And finally, Von Pessumal and Gwynne Capacio might need more training on footwork. Hopefully, the Blue Eagles get their mighty revenge on the Stags after three or four months of slugging it out and becoming a better team.

The Scores:

Ateneo 56 – Salva 18, Ravena 10, Slaughter 7, Long 7, Gonzaga 5, Sumalinog 3, Golla 2, Chua 2, Tiongson 2, Austria 0, Erram 0, Monfort 0

San Sebastian 51 – Abueva 16, dela Cruz 11, Sangalang 9, Vitug 9, del Rio 2, Ferrer 2, Miranda 2, Maiquez 0, Balacunag 0

Quarter scoring: 11-9, 26-23, 46-39, 56-51

---

San Sebastian 73 – Abueva 20, Sangalang 19, del Rio 10, Vitug 9, Miranda 6, Maiquez 4, Semira 3, Jo. dela Cruz 2

Ateneo 67 – Long 11, Tiongson 11, Slaughter 10, Erram 9, Monfort 8, Ravena 7, Salva 5, Sumalinog 3, Gonzaga 3, Golla 0, Chua 0, Austria 0

Quarter scoring: 17-16, 36-29, 57-49, 73-67

Credits to the UAAP Official site for the pic and Inboundpass.com for the scores

6 Points: AdMU vs. SBC (2011 PCCL Final Four)

Ateneo 76, San Beda 63

-As far as the PCCL is concerned, the San Beda Red Lions did not come out full force, as they missed a lot of players, key players Jake Pascual, Garvo Lanete, and Sudan Daniel included, for various reasons. The Ateneo Blue Eagles, on the other hand, sans Emman Monfort due to PBADL duties, seems to be in an early rebuilding phase, giving some time for second string players to step up and show what they have got, to prepare for another probable rematch with the SSC-R Golden Stags, and perhaps for Season 75. But despite these losses, these two teams, especially the seemingly short-handed Red Lions, fought hard and brought out what was available at their arsenal to earn that one spot for the Finals. And knowing that they still have another championship to defend besides the UAAP, that slot was Ateneo's for the taking.

-In this match, we have seen the improvements of the team members who participated in the SEA Games. Kiefer Ravena flexibly shuffled between the one and two positions, shifting his style of play occasionally from being a pass-first point guard to a finishing shooting guard and back again. We have also seen Greg Slaughter's improved domination in the paint, as well as Salva's quicker decision-making especially when running breaks. Truly, the SEAGames experienced helped them in fulfilling their role as the foundations of this team come Season 75.

-This game also pointed out the things that the Ateneo crowd will miss. Kirk Long came to play, and as usual, contributed the small things that matter most in the end. And Bacon Austria? Did we not mention that he largely improved since the day he suited up for Freego Jeans in the PBADL?

-The second stringers have also shown what they have learned from the Unigames. Tonino Gonzaga seriously assumed the starting role and provided the hustle that the team needs during those crucial stretches. Most significant among his contributions were his offensive boards that gave Ateneo second chance opportunities. The way he played this game serves as a hint that it is possible for him to be inserted into the starting lineup come Season 75. JP Erram also showed that he learned some neat things in the Unigames, especially in terms of off-ball movement. On the other hand, former third stringers Von Pessumal and Gwynne Capacio seems to need more improvement in defense, something that they might want to focus on in the next few months or so. Also, Juami Tiongson needs to get a lesson in serious ballhandling, if he really wants to become the starting point guard for Season 75.

-The absence of most players in their roster did not hinder the Red Lions from playing well despite losing to the Blue Eagles in this match. Dave Marcelo somehow had his way in the paint despite being stopped by Justin Chua and Greg Slaughter, sometimes settling for perfect midrange jumpers. Rome dela Rosa, Melo Lim, and Mar Villahermosa stepped up as well, immediately sensing the urge to play the game of catching up with the rest of the Blue Eagles. For what was expected to be a walk in the park for the almost-complete Blue Eagles, these Red Lions exceeded expectations.

-The question now that remains will be, Can the Blue Eagles handle the Golden Stags twice? The Blue Eagles have suffered close losses against the Golden Stags twice, one in the Fil-Oil Preseason tournament and another just a few days ago in the PCCL Final Four. The way the Pinatubo Big Three of Calvin Abueva, Ronald Pascual, and Ian Sangalang have somehow neutralized the power of the Slaughter-Ravena-Salva trio. And being a team that specializes in defense, perhaps the best thing for the Blue Eagles to do here is to neutralize SSC-R's own trio, while keeping their offense steady in order to prevent meltdowns similar to last week's game. The Blue Eagles might have gotten away during the UAAP when Adamson was eliminated by FEU, but this is a point of no escape for them, inevitably facing a team that defeated them twice. But then, being down 1-0 (due to twice-to-beat advantage) is familiar ground to them, as they were in the same situation as they were in their last 2 PCCL championships. Expect this PCCL Finals, therefore, to be exciting and adrenaline-filled for both teams.

The Scores:

Ateneo 76 – Slaughter 20, Ravena 18, Salva 17, Chua 6, Gonzaga 5, Austria 4, Long 4, Tiongson 2, Golla 0, Pessumal 0, Capacio 0, Erram 0

San Beda 63 – Villahermosa 21, de la Rosa 14, Marcelo 7, Pascual 6, Amer 6, Lim 5, Caram 4, Sorela 0, Koga 0, Pontejos 0

Quarter scoring: 23-19, 37-28, 55-44, 76-63

Credits to Abante Tonite for the pic and Inboundpass for the box.

Update: Greg Slaughter Will Play For One More Year

It might be late news for everyone: Blue Eagle Tonino Gonzaga tweeted that Greg Slaughter decided to play for the Blue Eagles come Season 75, using up his final year of eligibility before going to the pros or, possibly, to a new Smart Gilas team to be rebuilt around this time of the year.

On the assumption that this is already official [UPDATE: It is already final, according to Interaktv]  This would be very good news for the Ateneo Blue Eagles, who would want to extend their championship streak to five next year. The Blue Eagles of Season 75 will not have Emman Monfort, Kirk Long, and Bacon Austria in the lineup due to graduation, but it will still keep most of its players intact. Ateneo will have Nico Salva, Justin Chua, Oping Sumalinog, and Gonzaga (who, like Slaughter, will also play for their final year), Juami Tiongson, JP Erram, Gwynne Capacio, Von Pessumal, BJ Cipriano, Frank Golla, Jeric Estrada, and Season 74 Rookie of the Year Kiefer Ravena. The remaining slots will belong to Ryan Buenafe, and probably for Team Glory Be players like Nico Elorde, Joma Adornado, Chris de Chavez, and the like.

Credits to Fabilioh for the image.