Third-ranked University of Santo Tomas completed its dismantling of second-seeded Far Eastern University-Diliman, carving out a hard-fought 67-61 victory to secure the final ticket to the UAAP Season 87 Junior High School Basketball Finals on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
With the win, the Tiger Cubs advance to face a dominant University of the East Junior Warriors squad in a best-of-three championship series starting Wednesday, December 11, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
UE had earlier secured its spot in the finals after dethroning inaugural champion National University Nazareth School with a commanding 85-64 win, giving the Junior Warriors a week of preparation for the championship round.
UST, meanwhile, had to dig deep to overcome a resilient FEU-D squad twice, beginning with an 84-75 win last Wednesday.
The Tiger Cubs dropped both elimination-round games to the Junior Warriors but showed they are capable of challenging the top-seeded UE, narrowly losing 78-80 in their second-round meeting on October 30.
“Dadagdagan pa namin ‘yung effort namin [against UE], especially on defense. Balik sa practice, viewing na naman. Kung nagawa namin dati na matalo sa kanila by two points, kulang ‘yung effort namin at players noon, ngayon dadagdagan namin para manalo kami,” Tiger Cubs head coach Noli Mejos said.
UST held a 59-53 cushion with 6:00 left in the game, but the Baby Tamaraws mounted a furious comeback.
CP Miranda’s four-point spurt and an inside bucket from Mark Dulin tied the game at 59-all with 1:53 remaining.
However, Gab Castro emerged as the unsung hero for the Tiger Cubs.
The 15-year-old center from Victory Christian International School delivered three clutch inside baskets, including an and-one layup with 23.4 seconds left, effectively sealing the game for UST with a comfortable 66-61 lead.
In all three plays, Castro was assisted by either Andwele Cabanero or Jhon Canapi.
Anton Lopez had an opportunity to close the gap for FEU-D late in the game, but Canapi swatted away his three-point attempt.
“Naging prepared lang din talaga kami, nagbunga rin ‘yung sacrifices, may halo na ring swerte. Halos lahat din, lucky shots ‘eh. ‘Yung baskets ni Castro, malaking bagay. Nagsimula ‘yan nu’ng sacrifices ng mga bata sa practice, talagang sakripisyo all out,” Mejos continued.