FEU's Racela still wary of Archers even after playoff win
FEU may have grabbed a vital win over DLSU on Sunday in the Mall of Asia Arena, but that was no reason for Tamaraws coach Nash Racela to be complacent going into the Final Four series proper with La Salle.
The Tamaraws have twice-to-beat against the Green Archers in their semifinals matchup that tips off next weekend.
Mike Tolomia and his mates may have partly erased the bitter taste of their startling collapse against Ateneo last Saturday with a gutty 65-60 victory, but Racela is not one to rest on his laurels.
“I told the boys after the win na we haven't achieved anything. We shouldn't celebrate too much. Low-key lang tayo.”
Racela acknowledged that facing De La Salle with their top gun Jeron Teng not in the pink of health was a huge break for the squad. Teng was recovering from a mild case of dengue fever but played a hair under 31 minutes anyway, mustering just eight points from a two-for-eleven afternoon from the field. He misfired on all three of his attempts from beyond the arc but did contribute eight rebounds.
“Mahirap talaga maglaro pag galing kang dengue,” said the coach.
“We knew of his condition, and it favored us. Hopefully next week, meron uli (siyang sakit),” quipped the coach jokingly to much laughter from the media in the post game press conference.
“Uy, joke lang yan ha,” added Racela.
On a more serious note, Racela was quick to give credit to his opposite number, Juno Sauler, for tactical tweaks that nearly brought De La Salle back from as much as thirteen points down.
“La Salle did a lot of new things today, so we have to prepare.”
“They are bigger than us, taller than us, and stronger than us,” admitted Racela, who was part of Chot Reyes' Gilas staff in Spain.
“On paper, La Salle is still a better team, so we really need to double our efforts.”
Coach Nash, himself a La Sallian, was surprised when an unidentified member of the DLSU staff accosted him after the game and appeared to exchange angry words with him. Others around the coach and the staffer separated the two. But the altercation was dismissed by the FEU mentor.
“Wala yan, it was a miscommunication.”
Racela then explained that La Salle's Anthony Perkins was engaging in some tough talk with his players during the game. The coach told Perkins to back off, and according to Racela, Perkins obliged.
“Nagulat ako na after the game kinausap pa ako.”
Racela was also effusive in his praise for his team, who now have their title ambitions back on track.
“The game showed the character of the team. To succeed in life, you have to persevere. Our players were really persevering out there.
FEU controlled the contest from the beginning, leading by as much as thirteen. But a superb third quarter by Archer Almond Vosotros, punctuated by two three-pointers, helped DLSU to crawl back into the game.
Racela was also quick to praise FEU's fine defensive effort.
“It was about defense. Our defense gave us the victory.”
Nowhere was that more evident than in the endgame, where Far Eastern forced DLSU to go turnover, offensive foul, miss, miss, miss in their last five possessions. A late Vosotros basket in the dying seconds was deemed to have been shot after the final buzzer and was not counted.
FEU stole the ball eight times as opposed to only three by the Archers. Achie Iñigo's three thefts led his team. The Tams also held DLSU to just 32% from the field and forced Sauler's troops to cough up the ball twenty times, two more than FEU. In the payoff period, FEU's sticky, disciplined D meant La Salle could only produce ten points.
The Tamaraws had a week to mull over the disastrous collapse against Ateneo. Now the demons that haunted them have at least for now been slain. Questions about their ability to close out a game have been emphatically answered. The team was composed in the clutch, and are just a win away from a finals berth. Racela said it best.
“The players were making the right decisions, and making the right decisions in the end.”
Follow Bob on Twitter @PassionateFanPH.
