(Photo Credit: Mico Ongkeko, The GUIDON) Ateneo Blue Eagles def. De La Salle Green Archers 88-86 Notable Players Thirdy Ravena, Ateneo (17 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals): Thirdy Ravena, best local in the UAAP. HANDS. DOWN. Chibueze Ikeh, Ateneo (12 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks): The points are a huge bonus, but what truly mattered was the A+ defense on Ben Mbala, and the constant activity which he showed on both ends of the floor. An absolute masterpiece by Ikeh. GG2EZ4CHIBUEZE. Ben Mbala, La Salle (19 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks): It wasn't easy for Ben, but we can't deny this: Even in his worst games, Ben Mbala is still the best player in college basketball BAR NONE. Quick Analysis: - That my friends, is how do or die basketball games should be play. There were jitters, but both teams played TERRIFIC basketball on both ends, and put their bodies on the line all for the sake of a championship. Last year, it felt like Ateneo was lucky to be t

By now, we all know that there will be a game 3. We saw what happened. Ateneo went balls to the wall crazy with shooting and La Salle sent them crashing back down to earth. Game 1 went to Ateneo, Game 2 went to La Salle. For the first time in 15 years, there is a game 3 in the greatest rivalry in Philippine sports, for all the marbles. Here is what is on deck for Ateneo and La Salle: ATENEO BLUE EAGLES Ateneo came out of that dugout on fire, finishing the 1 st quarter with 32 big points. Every shot that the Blue Eagles took turned to gold, and it looked like a celebration in Katipunan was in the works. La Salle chipped away at the lead, until they took it for good during the 3 rd quarter where Ateneo shot a measly 8 points. Plain and simple, the Blue Eagles lost the flame that made them win game 1. What was worse for them was that they lost it in the middle of the game. Team ball and 3 rd quarter dominance were Ateneo's calling card all season long, and it

(Photo Credit: Mico Ongkeko, SLAM Philippines) De La Salle Green Archers def. Ateneo Blue Eagles 92-83 Notable Players: Kib Montalbo (9 points, 5 assists and 3 steals) and Andrei Caracut (13 points, 3 rebounds), DLSU: These two were arguably the main reasons for La Salle's resurgence during the second half. Kib played some terrific defense, while Andrei was his usual steady self on offense. Most importantly, as cliche as it may be, they kept on fighting and didn't give up. Ben Mbala (20 points, 16 rebounds, 3 steals and 4 blocks) and Ricci Rivero (18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists), DLSU: They were on the verge of breaking down, but their captains (Kib and Prince) got them back on track to wreck havoc on Ateneo. Ben broke out of his slump and regained confidence, while Ricci ignored foul trouble to produce for La Salle. Thirdy Ravena (20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists) and Aaron Black (15 points, 6/8 FG), Ateneo: The former Blue Eaglets tried their best to

(Photo Credit: Angel Marquez, GoArchers.com Game 1 is now history. All “What-if” questions and shoulda coulda woulda are now moot, as the Ateneo Blue Eagles pull off a 76-70 win in a highly physical game against the De La Salle Green Archers. The game has been broken down in Quick fire , so let us briefly answer the questions laid out for the two teams prior to the finals , as well as ask some new questions heading into game 2. DE LA SALLE GREEN ARCHERS Ben Mbala was proved to be human by the Ateneo defense. He got 12 rebounds, but scored only 8 points on 3/7 field goal shooting. All game long he had to deal with 2 (sometimes even 3) defenders hounding him, forcing him to kick out to shooters and let them handle the offensive load. It also did not help that he was saddled with 4 fouls, playing more tentative that he already was. Ricci Rivero was also in foul trouble for most of the game, finishing with only 10 points. Outside those two, no one else got to double digits in

(Photo Credit: Mico Ongkeko, The GUIDON) Game 1 is now history. All “What-if” questions and shoulda coulda woulda are now moot, as the Ateneo Blue Eagles pulled off a 76-70 win in a highly physical game against the De La Salle Green Archers to take a 1-0 lead. The game has been broken down in  Quick Fire , so let us briefly answer the questions laid out for the two teams prior to the finals , as well as ask some new questions heading into game 2. ATENEO BLUE EAGLES The big men did not exactly stay away from foul trouble, but they definitely have their fingerprints all over the game. Chibueze Ikeh fouled out in the fourth quarter with 4 points, 5 rebounds and a +/- of -3, but did an AMAZING job of being Ben Mbala's primary defender, holding the soon to be crowned Back-to back MVP to 8 points, with only a 3/7 FG%. ICE-aac Go (Thank you Pancho Badiola for the nickname idea) scored 5 points all game long, a stark contrast of what he did against FEU but hit the biggest shot

(Photo Credit: Christopher Cancio, The GUIDON)  Ateneo Blue Eagles def. De La Salle Green Archers 76-70 Notable Players: Thirdy Ravena, Ateneo (12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists): What a way for Thirdy to start off his second Finals campaign. His stats may not pop-out, but this was one of Thirdy's best games yet. Controlled, smart play from the best local in the league. Mike (11 points, 5 rebounds) and Matt (11 points, 3 assists) Nieto, Ateneo: Matt was his usual steady self despite nursing a nasty cut in the left eyebrow, while Mike played some tough, smart basketball despite his lack of height to push Ateneo during the fourth quarter. These twins are special. Chibueze Ikeh, Ateneo (4 points, 9 rebounds): Offensively, Ikeh was terrible. He showed us how NOT to run a hi-low play (seriously, a pass to Raffy Verano from the top with two defenders on Raffy) and missed a ton of gimmes. But defensively? He was INCREDIBLE. The very fact that he held his ground versus Mbal

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(Photo Credit: Mico Ongkeko, The GUIDON) Ateneo Blue Eagles def. FEU Tamaraws 88-84 Notable Players: Thirdy Ravena, Ateneo (17 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists): We can talk about his lack of a clutch gene all we want but we cannot deny the game-long brilliance of Thirdy Ravena. He was aggressive all game long, taking it to the rim without any hesitation. Good things happen to Ateneo when Thirdy is locked in. Chibueze Ikeh, Ateneo (16 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals): We can joke about him all we want, but when it mattered, Ikeh actually delivered. His aggressiveness in the inside during the overtime period immediately set the tone for the Blue Eagles, as they immediately pounced on FEU's lack of an inside presence.  Matt Nieto (16 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists) and Isaac Go (13 points, 9 rebounds), Ateneo: CLUTCH. BIG SHOTS. These two showed the epitome of having a good heart AND a sound mind. Jasper Parker, FEU (19 points, 4 rebounds): Absolutely ballsy performanc

(Photo Credit: Joaqui Flores, Tiebreaker Times) FEU Tamaraws def. Ateneo Blue Eagles 80-67  Notable Players:  Ron Dennison, FEU (17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals): After a shitty second round, the Ron Dennison of the first round came to play. He was terrific on both ends of the floor, hounding both Thirdy Ravena and Matt Nieto, while bailing out the Tamaraws on multiple occasions as well. Great stuff. Arvin Tolentino, FEU (13 points, 3 rebounds): Arvin was aggressive to start off the game, and that's when you knew FEU was going to have a good time versus Ateneo. He shot more inside than from the outside (JUST THREE ATTEMPTS FROM DOWNTOWN), driving with no hesitation and posting up when need be. Locked in Arvin Tolentino is SCARY. Close to unstoppable. Richard Escoto, FEU (5 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists): Give this dude an award. Seriously. His hard work on both ends is absolutely insane. He's undersized, but with his blend of smarts and hard work he

(Photo Credit: Josh Albelda, ABS-CBN Sports) Note: For definitions of what these particular statistics mean, check out this glossary by Basketball Reference. "BABA NA AGAD!!!" My dad shouts to our other teammates, as we find ourselves down by 2 points in a pick-up game versus some friends. My cousin is then asked to inbound the ball, and there are two conflicting voices shouting at him. My dad proceeds to shout "Wag mo ibato, bigay mo sa kanya!", pertaining to one of my teammates who was close to him. But my uncle shouts "PUSH!", as in "push the pace" by pushing the ball fast and going for the fast break opportunity. My cousin is then left frozen, with no idea of what the proper decision is to be. I've been placed in such a situation as well. My dad has taught me to play with a deliberate style (if you're reading this KBoys/Big Bolero Brand, explains why I play like Arvin Tolentino) while trying to maintain efficiency (okay thi

(Photo Credit: John Oranga, Fabilioh) When Thirdy Ravena put Regie Boy Basibas on a poster (yes, it was a poster, he was part of the shot, carry on) yesterday, the internet immediately exploded. The dunk was life-changing. Maybe even more life-changing than the fast-break alley-oop dunk which Ben Mbala did last year versus Ateneo. But that's for another conversation. The first thing that came into people's minds regarding Thirdy's dunk was how athletic and explosive Thirdy is. The raw power he showed to get to shove that ball into the rim as if it was a piece of garbage he's been meaning to throw for quite some time now was an utter beauty to watch. Others even went as far as to compare it to dunks by LeBron James and Russell Westbrook. However, there were other notable things from that very sequence. And it is those very things which make the Ateneo Blue Eagles such a great basketball team. Before the dunk by Thirdy, the Blue Eagles ran some nifty mo