UP Fighting Maroons in the final 4 of the UAAP men’s basketball season against the UST Growling Tigers. – PHOTO UAAP
MANILA, Philippines – The University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons are getting one other likelihood at redemption after ending as runners-up twice in the last two years, a feat that haunts them to today.
The UP team turned to reliable and experienced defenders Harold Alarcon and Reyland Torres to eliminate the University of Santo Tomas team (78-69) in Saturday’s UAAP men’s 4 in the season for the fourth consecutive time in the final.
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In the school’s fifth finals appearance in six seasons, Torres and Alarcon admitted they were still looking forward to atoning for last yr’s painful finals loss to La Salle.
RESULTS: The fourth basketball final of the 87 UAAP season on November 30
“Maybe the loss we had last season was really painful and we think about it every day in training and in games to use it as motivation,” said Torres, who scored 13 points, including 3 of three from three-point range . and grabbed seven rebounds.
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“Our attitude is to always be ready, no matter who our opponent is, because that’s what Coach Gold always tells us – to give it our all and give our all against everyone,” he added.
Alarcon, who scored eight of his 16 points in the fourth quarter to lead UP, believes that previous championship defeats – including the ’85 season finale loss to Ateneo – made them hungrier and stronger in their quest to reclaim the crown they’d won in the magical title of season 84 will appear in May 2022.
UP Fighting Maroons as guard Harold Alarcon vs. UST in the final 4 of the UAAP 87 men’s basketball season. – UAAP PHOTO
“Those kinds of losses and defeats are also very helpful for us as a team and players because that’s where we grow. This is where we learn from our mistakes. This is where our character as a team develops even more,” said Alarcon.
“We don’t expect anything, but we are going to prepare and be ready for whatever happens in the finals. What happened to us in the last two finals, once we were runners-up, was painful. We’ll see what happens this season.”
READ: UAAP: UP in the final for the fourth time in a row, defeating UST
The fourth-year defender added that the tough challenge UST faced helped them boost their confidence to make it to the finals against the winner, who defeated La Salle and Adamson twice.
“The game was great because we were given a tough challenge. We saw how we reacted to situations like that, how we became solid and played as a team,” Alarcon said. “This experience helped us reach the final. Facing adversity and dealing with things that don’t go our way – how we deal with those situations will really help us.”
Torres was grateful to make a timely triple in the third set, helping UP gain momentum against UST led by Nic Cabañero and Forthsky Padrigao.
“My shots just fell and I think it gave me confidence,” Torres said. “Coach Gold told me to trust myself – if I get an open shot, just take it.”
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“It was really difficult because, as we all know, Forthsky comes from a championship team and Cabañero is the leader each in terms of physicality and points. They gave us a very good challenge and solid preparation. “
