Top-seed University of the East capitalized on an early ejection of Mythical Five member Andwele Cabanero, securing a 76-70 victory over University of Santo Tomas to force a winner-take-all Game 3 in the UAAP Season 87 Junior High School Basketball Finals on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Cabanero was ejected at the 6:54 mark of the first quarter after striking Neil Garcia twice with a closed fist during a loose ball scuffle.
Despite the predicament the Tiger Cubs were in the Junior Warriors were still forced to battle against a resilient UST squad, which was fueled by the combined 62-point effort of Jhon Canapi, Miguel Jubilado, and Dustin Bathan.
As Game 3 approaches, the Junior Warriors are looking to end a 39-year UAAP basketball title drought, while the Tiger Cubs aim to capture their first UAAP high school basketball championship since Season 74 (2001).
Cabanero, who starred in the Junior Warriors’ 98-84 Game 1 win with 21 points, 16 rebounds, and eight assists, will miss the decisive Game 3 due to his ejection in this game.
UE head coach Andrew Estrella expressed UE’s determination, saying, “That’s the motivation: to bring UE another championship. As I’ve said, huwag kayo susuko, and then we won, so bakit pa namin ibibigay ito? Ang dami na namin pinaghirapan, in and out the court, ito na ‘yon. Bakit pa namin ibibigay, nandito na kami sa Game 3.”
With 2:23 left in the game, UE had a slim two-point lead after a five-point spurt by Jolo Pascual and an inside basket from Gab Delos Reyes.
However, back-to-back layups by Jubilado and Canapi gave UST a 70-68 advantage with 1:44 remaining.
Canapi then committed three consecutive fouls, setting the stage for six straight free throws—four from Mav Mesina and two from Garcia—giving UE a 74-70 lead with 20.3 seconds remaining.
UST had a chance to close the gap, but Theodore Lim, who had taken most of Cabanero’s minutes, missed a crucial three-point attempt.
Mesina then hit two more free throws, sealing UE’s hard-fought victory and keeping theirdream season alive.
“Ever since bata naman tayo, siguro kapag nagba-basketball, free throw is a common shot to make. I’ve made that shot more than a thousand times na, so what’s there to be scared of?” Mesina, a 14-year-old combo guard from Malabon, asked.
Mesina bounced back from a tough Game 1 performance with 21 points on a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line, adding five assists, four rebounds, and one steal. He had been limited to just nine points on 3-of-12 shooting and seven turnovers in Game 1.
Garcia contributed a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, along with one assist and one steal.
Delos Reyes also posted a double-double, tallying 11 points and a game-high 21 rebounds, while Pascual chipped in eight points, eight rebounds, and two assists.
Canapi, a Mythical Team member, paced the Tiger Cubs with 21 points and 11 rebounds while Jubilado also had 21 points with nine rebounds.
Bathan finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal as they look to erase this memory and complete the job on Wednesday.
