Ateneo 72, Adamson 57
-Is there anything more consoling for a championship team than to beat down one of their strongest opponents last season? Of course there are, but the Blue Eagles must have been happy to see that they have retained their status as the team to beat in Season 75. In last year's opening game, the Adamson Soaring Falcons have almost defeated them with a 55-51 score, but with the departure of their top two playmakers/scorers in Lester Alvarez and Jerick Canada, the Falcons have almost lost their firepower. The Blue Eagles took advantage of the Soaring Falcons' lack of depth, as they cruised their way into the second half after struggling both offensively and defensively in the first. One could perhaps count this as one of the Blue Eagles' best starts in the previous years, considering that Coach Norman Black usually sets the first game as his own opportunity to experiment with lineups and combinations.
-As usual, the Blue Eagles Big Three have led the charge in this game. Greg Slaughter came up with his usual double double output, with Nico Salva helping him on offense. Kiefer Ravena's second opening game in his UAAP career had not been in vain, as he finished with nine markers. However, one can see Ravena struggling to score, something that got carried over from this summer's Fil-Oil preseason tournament. Is it a matter of losing his touch, a kind of sophomore slump? Or just bad shots, and therefore the need to slash more to score more? Or adjusting to his role as an assistant playmaker to Juami Tiongson of some sorts? Whatever the reason is, one thing is clear: Ravena should get his scoring spunk in the game in order for the Blue Eagles to become dominant over stronger teams this season, especially when it comes to situations when the team could only rely on him. (here's a hint: who's closing the close games?)
-Compared to last season's opening games, this year's bench is more productive and is packed with firepower. The second and third squad led by the returning crowd favorite Ryan Buenafe helped a lot in widening the gap in the second half. More than his 5-point output, Buenafe has always been credited with playing point-forward and creating avenues for teammates to score, and as such, he has helped JP Erram and Justin Chua find their own spots early and provide their finishing touches. Nico Elorde has once again shown glimpses of smart basketball, proving to the blue crowd (and some of those in green) that he had indeed made the right decision to transfer from De La Salle.
-If one of the Blue Eagles has to be named as this game's X-factor, it has to be Tiongson, who unexpectedly showed playmaking brilliance in the game. Known as someone who sets plays in order to create shots for himself, he seems to have embraced his role as a point guard and perimeter defender, taking the responsibility of feeding to his teammates for easy scores and religiously blocking off passing lanes for the Adamson guards. It has paid off statistically though, as he got 5 points with 5 boards and 7 assists. Blue Eagle fans could only hope that he keeps up with that ind of performance, eventually serving as replacement for the now-graduated Emman Monfort.
-Despite losing key people, the Soaring Falcons still ha something to throw at the Blue Eagles. Their own trifecta of Alex Nuyles, Eric Camson, and Rodney Brondial provided a spark that lasted only until the beginning of the second half. It was a splendid performance for Alex Nuyles, who, knowing that he would be hounded consistently by defenders, decided to make the extra pass as he drives to the bucket, which led to 10 of 13 points that Brondial had. Eric Camson still had his inside-outside with him, as he breezes through Ateneo's slower defenders and positioned himself to make his 10-15 footers. Had Adamson gotten hold of playmakers that could replace Canada and Alvarez, they could become a powerhouse once again, as some of them, like Jericho Cruz and Allan Etrone, still have room for improvement.
-Based on the second half performance, one can conclude that the Blue Eagles are too much for the dilapidated Soaring Falcons, who still have to find their own rhythm especially when going against dominant teams. On the other hand, the Blue Eagles now have to take the game more sriously, as they set out to face the UST Growling Tigers who almost notched a win against Season 74 second-placers the FEU Tamaraws. Perhaps it will only be in the second game where we can see the stuff that the Blue Eagles are made off, the very conditions of possibility of getting that coveted fifth championship that has not been achieved by previous fourpeat teams (and were you reminded that the Blue Eagles were the ones who broke La Salle's streak way back in '02?).
The Scores:
Ateneo 73 – Slaughter 17, Salva 14, Ravena 9, Sumalinog 6, Buenafe 6, TIongson 5, Erram 5, Chua 4, Gonzaga 3, Golla 2, Elorde 2, Porter 0, Pessumal 0, Lim 0, Capacio 0.
Adamson 57 – Brondial 13, Nuyles 12, Camson 10, Cabrera 10, Cruz 4, Monteclaro 3, Trollano 2, Etrone 2, Cabigas 1, Julkipli 0, Agustin 0, Abrigo 0.
Quarter Scoring: 15-16, 32-28, 55-45, 73-57
Credits to Fabilioh.com for the pic.
No comments:
Post a Comment