Green Archers down but not out

Last Wednesday we witnessed one of the best finals game in the UAAP in recent years, one that could have gone either way. UST’s championship experience from last year played a massive role as the Growling Tigers had more control of the game than the younger Green Archers. But Aljon Mariano’s crucial error allowed La Salle a solid chance to steal the win, with a wide open triple attempt by deadly sniper Almond Vosotros, and an open drive by the cat-quick LA Revilla that was swatted by Karim Abdul.

The end game made me convinced that La Salle is not out of it yet, even when the pressure is clearly on its side. You really can’t ask for more after DLSU’s best shooter had the open look. In hindsight however, since the Archers were just down by a point, perhaps it would have been a good option to dump the leather to Arnold Van Opstal or Jason Perkins at the post. But anyway, the Tigers escaped with the W after 40 minutes of amazing college basketball.

Now for Game 2, expect La Salle to come out really strong to force a rubber match for the crown. In Game 1, the Archers came out flat and succumbed to the airtight defense of the Tigers. Perhaps it took awhile before they realized that they were already in a championship game, something they have not set their foot on in a while. UST immediately jumped to a 21-4 lead.

But it didn’t take long before the Archers got their act together, headed by the veteran Vosotros and the vastly improved AVO, who looked to have taken some moves from the Euro basket textbook with his one-handed hook shots. They evened the game at 25-all early in the second quarter. It was a nip and tuck affair since then until the final few minutes of the game when UST built a five point lead, 68-63. But Perkins hit a huge triple right at the two-minute mark to slice the deficit to two markers.

Then it was time for some magic. Kevin Ferrer, after a spectacular showing in the semis against NU, decided he was going to take over. An ankle-breaking crossover move followed by a dagger trey at the top of the key from the former UAAP Juniors MVP gave UST a 73-69 edge, with 41.6 ticks left to play. La Salle refused to throw in the towel, especially the prized sophomore Jeron Teng, who was losing the head-to-head battle to elder brother Jeric of UST. Teng drove to the hoop, missed the lay-up, but got his own rebound to score on a three-point play, to make the count 72-73.

The Tigers got lucky after the Archers failed to convert in the dying seconds of the game, despite several chances.

ALSO READ: No substitute for experience, says elder Teng

In Game 2, La Salle can’t leave anything to chance. The Tigers will surely go all out to grab the title they failed to get last year. And they have every necessary ingredient to complete the job, especially with a solid starting five.

Not to many adjustments are needed. After all, Game 1 was as close as it can get. But I would love to see this series go the distance, which means I will be slightly rooting for La Salle in Game 2, just to extend the fun.

Here are a few tips for the Archers that might help force a Game 3:

Run the Tigers to the ground. It’s no secret that UST has a shallow bench. In Game 1, Coach Pido Jarencio sent in ten players in the game. But of the ten, four players played over 30 minutes – Abdul (35 minutes), Teng and Mariano (33 minutes) and Ferrer (32 minutes) – while two of them, Kim Lo and Kent Lao, saw action in less than five minutes. Point guard Sheak Sheriff was on the floor for 25 minutes, and the rest, including sharpshooter Clark Bautista, played under 15 minutes. In contrast, coach Juno Sauler fielded in eleven players, with more balanced distribution of minutes, as only Vosotros and Teng playing over 30 minutes.

With more fresh legs available, La Salle must step on the gas to force the Tigers to exhaust more fuel from their smaller tank. In Game 1, UST had more transition baskets, 21-18. A deliberate ballgame favors the Tigers, especially that Teng, Ferrer, Mariano, Abdul and Bautista are excellent set-play operators. I think La Salle must look at every opportunity to push the ball and score in transition.

More ball movement. I’m a huge fan of ball movement, especially in college basketball. I’m not fond of isolation plays. I thought that Vosotros tried to do so much by himself several times in the game. There is no doubt he is an excellent scorer. Yes, he scored 20 points in Game 1. But I think he is better off receiving the ball off a screen or kick-out pass, rather than having it frozen in his hands for the rest of the team to wait for his move. There were instances in the game that the Archers moved the rock really well. Constant ball movement will give any defense a tough time. After all, the Tigers are the second best defensive team in the league. It makes it so much easier for them to defend against one-on-one plays.

Handcuff the Sheriff. Sheak Sheriff is a vital part of the Tigers’ offense, which is why Jarencio keeps him on the floor during the crucial stages of the game. He played for 25 minutes in Game 1, producing six points, including four in the payoff period, five rebounds and three assists. But more than the stats, he kept the Tigers’ assault in sync, allowing Teng, Ferrer and Abdul to do what they do best offensively.

And so, the Archers must apply the pressure on Sheriff to tire him out. Shackle him from the backcourt in every second he has the ball. La Salle has several guards who can alternate on the job anyway – Revilla, Thomas Torres, Kib Montalbo, or even for a just a couple of minutes, Robert Bollick, who is a pesky defender.

Attack Abdul. DLSU’s biggest advantage is its frontline. UST has only Abdul. Make him work. AVO, Norbert Torres and Perkins can attack Abdul in the post, to tire him out and force him to foul trouble. When Abdul is on the bench, the Archers can get away with murder inside the paint.

Attack the UST zone. Jarencio applied a surprise 1-2-2 zone that shifted into a 2-3 zone that worked for sometime. This was his answer to the post play of DLSU when Abdul was off the floor. The Archers must not be lured into taking the outside shots. They have to move that ball quickly and try to find the post players inside to score on high percentage baskets. The Archers must also go aggressively for the offensive rebounds, like they did occasionally in Game 1 versus the zone, as to block out the rebounder is a major weakness of the zone defense.

It’s easier said than done though as UST is hungry for the title and can smell blood. But both teams will play their hearts out for sure in Game 2.

I’m guessing the Archers will be able to extend the series but not before they go through the wire as the Tigers won’t be easy target by any means.

One thing’s for sure though, we will be treated to another top caliber college basketball game.