Many said it could not happen, especially after the devastating loss to Ateneo. Many doubted the capabilities of a young La Salle team against the league leading FEU. But this is basketball and anything is possible. Ask Ateneo after they lost to UE. Today David (La Salle) beat the hell out of Goliath (FEU) 80 -66.
The game started out tentative for both teams. La Salle started with their stifling defense while FEU stuck to their zone defense which La Salle has had a problem with. Ever since Adamson beat us with the zone defense, all the other teams have seen how effective it is in stopping La Salle. FEU did just that.
FEU ace RR Garcia waxed hot and started hitting 3 pointers that gave FEU a nine point lead. However, La Salle did not give up. Atkins, Vosotros, Tolentino Villanueva, Mendoza, Andrada, Paredes and de la Paz kept their composure and slowly trimmed the lead down in the 3rd quarter. Even after FEU’s RR Garcia hit Atkins in the eye that required it to be taped, he just kept hitting those 3s.
Then Coach Dindo put in Tampus to guard FEU’s RR Garcia. It was a move that proved to be the wisest decision of the game. The normally highly productive Garcia was held at bay by Tampus in the 2nd half, so much so that Glen Capacio decided to sit him down. To make matters worst, nobody from FEU took over what Reyes was suppose to contribute. Tampus did not just shine on defense, he also hit some clutch shots. The kid is going to be a star in the future. He has no fear and that was eveident in today’s game.
The fourth quarter was all La Salle, The hustle that the team showed was one that you would not expect from a bunch of rookies and sophomores. They had fire in their eyes and you could see that the desire to win was evident. Most importantly, it was a team effort. Everyone did what they could to get the win and it paid off big time.
With a stitiched eye, it was Atkins who opened up the zone defense of FEU. When he statrted hitting the 3s, FEU had to stretch out their defense which enabled the Green Archers to get the rebounds and shoot from the inside. Imagine, DLSU outrebounded the bigger Tamarawas.
In fairness, Ferdinand played a decent game. Though he still had his usual mental lapses, he played much better than what people (me included) expected from him. He even made 2 points from the foul line. There was a certain intensity in his game today that was not present before.
In fairness also, the player that was absolutely disappointing was Joshua Webb. He played very few minutes because he was turning the ball over constantly and disrupted the chemistry of the team while he was on the court. I’m glad Coach Dindo saw this and sat him down right away. Webb has not had a break out game all season. His one dimensional move where he can go only to the right has been figured out by the other teams. He needs to add new arsenals to his game. He has to learn to move left. He has to improve his passing and most of all he has to start enjoying playing the game again.
For a team that was predicted to be the whipping boys of this year’s UAAP, La Salle is showing the true meaning of ANIMO. One more win and we are in the Final Four. If good fortune comes to us, we may even end up in the top 2.
Morale of the story, “Never count the Green Archers out, because if you do, you may end up eating crow’s meat. We are not invincible, just unpredictable!”
