ADAMSON University moved on the cusp of a first-round sweep, while National University Nazareth School solidified its hold on second spot in the UAAP Season 86 high school boys basketball tournament Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
The Baby Falcons blasted UP Integrated School, 103-72, to raise their record to 6-0, while the Bullpups extended their winning run to four with a 99-53 romp of De La Salle-Zobel.
In other games, defending champion Far Eastern University-Diliman hammered out a 66-58 win over University of the East to seize solo third while Ateneo checked a four-game skid, needing a huge fourth quarter to beat University of Santo Tomas, 74-59.
Zahir Sajili had 14 points, six rebounds, and five assists in a reserve role while Justine Garcia chipped in 13 points, seven assists, and three steals for Adamson.
Coach Mike Fermin emphasized the need for his Baby Falcons to be aggressive against the winless Junior Fighting Maroons.
“Players did their job kasi ang usapan hindi mo puwedeng maliitin yung kalaban. The moment na yun ang ginawa mo, doon yung start ng bagsak namin eh,” said Fermin.
“First half medyo kinakapa nila pero sabi ko just stick to the game plan and they did, they responded. We were able to get the win,” he added.
Nigerian big man Collins Akowe imposed his will in the middle with 32 points, 22 rebounds, and three blocks to lead NUNS in raising its record to 5-1.
The 6-foot-10 Akowe, who grabbed a league-high school record of 29 rebounds in last Saturday’s 84-76 victory over UPIS, had 28 points and 13 rebounds in the first half where the Bustillos-based side opened a 54-24 lead.
“Actually ako very happy kasi ito yung hinahanap kong game sa kanila eh. Actually sila nga gumawa ng game plan eh. Pre-game namin sabi ko sa kanila kayo gumawa ng game plan para sa inyo mismo manggaling, para pag magkamali sila, sila babalikan ko,” Bullpups coach Kevin De Castro said.
The Baby Tamaraws moved up to 4-2, while the Tiger Cubs, who lost two in a row, dropped to fourth with a 3-3 slate.
The Blue Eagles raised their record to 2-4 to force a three-way tie with the Tiger Cubs and the Junior Archers from fifth to seventh spots.
Cabs Cabanillas logged 12 points, six rebounds, and two steals while Veejay Pre had a double-double outing of 10 points and 12 boards to go along with four blocks for FEU-Diliman.
As the tournament nears the end of the first round, coach Allan Albano wanted to see his Baby Tamaraws work as a team.
“We are inconsistent. Kailangan namin maminimize yung turnovers namin, lessen yung mga pagkakamali but I’m proud sa mga boys and they’re young pa naman lots of improvement pa para sa kanila,” Albano said.
Kris Porter had a monster 20-20 outing of 21 points and 24 rebounds as Ateneo earned its first win since beating UPIS in the season opener.
“It’s a morale-boosting win for us. The past three games we were in there competing pero short kami nung dulo. It’s relieving na we pulled through today,” Blue Eagles coach Reggie Varilla said.
Ateneo broke away from a 48-48 standoff with a huge 26-11 fourth quarter.
In a notable line, Ethan Egea played all 40 minutes for UPIS, finishing with 26 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Games Sunday
(Filoil EcoOil Centre)
8 a.m. – UPIS vs UE (Boys)
10 a.m. – NUNS vs UST (Boys)
12 p.m. – FEU-D vs AdU (Boys)
2 p.m. – DLSZ vs Ateneo (Boys)