La Salle teams overpower Ateneo 'Greats'

Last Saturday, I went to Araneta Coliseum to watch 2 ballgames. It has been 3 years since my last visit there. You see, I have always been in Japan during the UAAP season since then. I miss watching the games live, and inhaling all the energy. It wouldn't be right if I don't write about it in MY blog. After all, it's the green and white story of things.

We were there before 1pm, 5 of us. As soon as we got in, we went off and found good seats. We were at Upper A, not too near the court yet not too far. The drums were rumbling then. "It's good to be back," I told Y.

That day was a reunion of sorts. La Salle and Ateneo basketball greats fight each other for old times' sake. The first game were members of teams from the '60s to the late '80s. Some notable La Sallians in the Legends game include the deadly shooter Lim Eng Beng, Franz Pumaren who led us to 5 titles in 7 years, Jong and Joel Uichico, Tonichi Yturri, Boy Manguerra, and others to be coached Virgil Villavicencio (of Triple V fame). I never saw them play as La Sallians before, as I only entered the hallowed halls in 1991. But boy were they something! Sure they were slower, the bellies a little bigger, but they never showed signs of bowing to the blue side. Even if bragging rights were the only trophy, these team didn't show any signs of letting up. After the first period, it was 17-10 La Salle. Ateneo tried to fight hard, with the likes of Jojo Lastimosa, Nonoy Chuatico and Steve Watson combining to give them a 54-52 lead at the start of the 4th. But that's the best they could muster. La Salle dropped a 9-0 bomb to take the lead for good, never looking back. The game ended at 79-70 for La Salle, everything settled at the last-2-minute mark 'cept for the final score. Even with the blue babble battalion shouting at full blast, the green gallery were undaunted. I think we even outshouted them, if that's even a word.

Sidebar: I especially liked the cheers done by both pep squads during timeouts. It had a certain thing about them that I find missing when we're facing a different squad. As much as Ateneo and La Salle are rivals, we are one in traditions. When other schools are fielding cheerdancers who don't even shout cheers to begin with, we both bring out something that both students and alumni know - that spirit of support - that somehow, your strength is transferred to the team. Like the crowd is the 6th player on the court. That's why all Ateneo-La Salle games are sold-out, everybody just wants to participate. It's a bore just to watch a game, di ba? You'd rather PLAY the game! With all the Rektikanos and Blue Eagle spellings for that game, it's ok if I don't get to watch the game live this July 10. Malabo na, coz tickets were already sold out since this morning!

Anyhoo, going back... I was able to relate more to the All-Stars game. It featured players I knew, kasi kapanahunan ko na, hehe. From Dindo Pumaren, Raffy Dinglasan, Dicky Bachmann, Dwight Lago, to Dino Aldeguer, Mon Jose, Alvin Magpantay - gumawa lahat to defeat Ateneo again, 83-72. I knew the game was ours after the first quarter, with the score at 25-8. Yup, that's only 8 for the team from Katipunan.

But we were given the shock of a lifetime when the blue squad scattered points behind the almost buwakaw plays of Vince Hizon, once a good player from Ginebra, to come within 4, 56-52 at the start of the fourth. But like in the first game, that was all they could muster. Pumaren, Lago and Tyrone Bautista combined 14 unanswered points to break away. Hizon and Epok Quimpo (he's an All-Star?!) tried to keep the heads of the blue boys above water, but it was all for naught. The Green Archers triumphed again, this time at 83-72. My voice was pretty much raspy at this point as I couldn't stop cheering for the life of me. I had so much fun! I will definitely, definitely do this again!

(Marj and Regie might watch with us during the La Salle-UST game. I bet that will be even more fun, with all the asarans pa!)

Postscript: As expected from true-blue sore losers, I couldn't find any topic from Atenean.net about the Ultimate Showdown. Are they just braggarts when they're winning? If it were the other way around, the blue win would be all over the Pinoy exchange forums, plus invasions in peyups.com and greenarcher.net. Why are they all mum now?