Archive for July, 2009

Game Highlights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuXYeFBgvyo

• There were five players in the starting lineup of both squads that came from De La Salle high schools: Joshua Webb, Simon Atkins, and Martin Reyes graduated from DLSZ, and Ferdinand and Mikee Reyes are LSGH alumni.
• Two Martin Reyes three-pointers sandwiched an An Alvin Padilla triple for the Maroons’ biggest lead, 15-6, 4:54 of the first period.
• Maui Villanueva anchored the Archers’ 9-0 counter rally to come near before the quarter ended. By this time, the defense was revving up while both teams decided to run and gun.
• Peejay Barua’s jumper at the corner from an inbounds play was the Archers’ first taste of the lead, 23-22, 5:30 in the second quarter. Joel Tolentino’s two freethrows at the 1:21 mark were the go-ahead points as DLSU never trailed from there, 27-25.
• A 7-0 run done in less than a minute gave the Archers’ first double digit margin of the season. After Webb made his charities, he scored a quick basket coming from an interception at midcourt. Hyram Bagatsing then scored a three in the next possession for an 11-point spread, 40-29, 7:01 in the third.
• A Webb three-pointer, 43-31, 6:40 in the third was the Archers’ widest margin in the period before the Maroons caught up and came within three, 43-46, from a Magi Sison turnaround jumper, 1:25 in the clock.
• Bader Malabes heated up, scoring his only two three-pointers in the game in a 10-0 blast for a 13-point gap, 60-47, 7:41 of the fourth. His last basket came from an Arvie Bringas interception past midcourt. The other two field goals in the rally came from putbacks courtesy of James Mangahas and Webb. Two Atkins freethrows after a UP timeout was the game’s biggest lead, 62-47, 7:12 remaining.
• At the half, the Archers shot 42% from the two-point area but went 0/12 from triple-v country for a 30% clip. They had zero points in seven fastbreak attempts, but they countered with 15 turnover points.
• At the end of the game, the green and white squad finished with a 32% field goal accuracy, while shooting 15/23 from the line. The Archers were also the lord of the offensive board with 23, despite UP grabbing more total rebounds with 52. They also had 14 assists, 11 steals, and four blocks.
• The Maroons committed 32 errors, which translated to 35 turnover points for the Archers.

Postgame Presscon: Webb and Mangahas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktZWIG7TOVs

Postgame Presscon: Coach Pumaren

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpJQPLVVxnk

• Finally a win, 73-63! Against a UP team that proved to be an even match during the pre-season.
• UP took the early lead on hot shooting from UP, particularly Martin Reyes. However, after his initial outburst, he was shackled by the defense.
• For the first time, La Salle led at halftime.
• Franz went to the veterans for most of the game, and they delivered. James was the first Archer to break the double digit scoring barrier, followed by Joshua, who did it on pure hustle and energy. Hyram was effective, but his playing time was limited by his fouls, as was Simon’s.
• Maui showed aggressiveness in going for his shot early in the game with some success, scoring on a mid-range jumper and in the paint, but was content to help set up the plays for the rest of the game.
• Bader showed why he is held in high regard by the coaches, working tirelessly on defense and finally finding his shot. He scored on back-to-back triples that created separation from the ever-dangerous Maroons, as well as on a couple of drives.
• Ferdinand continued his steady play in the slot, banging bodies with and making life difficult for the UP front line. The interior defense of the Archers clogged the lane, effectively neutralizing Woody Co and Magi Sison. Kish Co, Arvie Bringas, and James alternated in manning the paint and making it difficult for UP to penetrate
• After not making any blocks in the first 2 games, the Archer defense blocked 3-4 UP shots, one by Simon on his former teammate Martin Reyes.
• The pressure defense forced UP into 32 errors for the game. Perimeter defense was also better, and UP was forced into a few shot clock violations because they could not get clear of their defenders.
• There are sill some rough spots, notably passing errors. And there is still some uncertainty on the offense. These will be minimized gradually as the season moves on.
• UP applied their own version of the press which allowed the Maroons to claw their way back from a double digit lead to trail by 3, but successive baskets by the Archers brought the lead back to a manageable level.
• The Archer press break will need some fine tuning. Franz played a 2 point guard configuration in the 4th quarter to counteract the UP press. Joel Tolentino continued to impress, and played very effectively with Simon.
• Jed Manguera made his first appearance in the tournament, late in the first half. Gab Banal and Yutien Andrada did not play.
• Scores:
  DLSU 73 – Mangahas 15, Malabes 14, Webb 13, Villanueva 8, Ferdinand 6, Bagatsing 6, Barua 4, Bringas 3, Tolentino 2, Atkins 2, Mendoza 0, Marata 0, Manguera 0, Co 0.

  UP 63 – Gomez 14, Reyes 11, Padilla 10, Lopez 6, De Asis 6, Sison 4, Co 4, Reyes 4, Gamboa 2, Braganza 2, Astorga 2, Maniego 0, Hipolito 0, Juruena 0.

  Quarters: 17-21, 29-25, 50-45, 73-63.

• In the pre-season, UP was able to compete on even terms with the Archers, splitting their games in tournament play – winning once by a point, losing by the same margin, and finally battling to a draw in the last tuneup game
• During the pre-season games, the Maroons fielded Mike Silungan, a tall deadshot who plays the wings, but were without Martin Reyes in the tuneup game. Silungan  is still establishing his residency. It will be interesting to see whether they can still compete on the same terms without him.
• The Archers are still trying to establish some consistency in offense. Team play, a trademark of Archer basketball, must make its appearance. In the first 2 games, the Archers had just 16 assists in total. They must also cut down on their turnovers if they hope to pull off their first win – they turned the ball over 39 times in the first two games.
• 3-point shooting will have to improve for the Archers hope to notch their first win. The team took 21 attempts in each of the first 2 games, making only 3 in game 1 and 4 against FEU. James is the most accurate long distance shooter with 2/5, followed by Sam Marata who is 3/9. Bader and Simon are the only other players to connect on 3pointers.
• DNPs so far: Manguera-2 games, Mendoza-1 game, Andrada-1 game.
• Interesting stat: the Archers have not yet blocked any shots after 2 games, yet the defense has held both UE and FEU, very strong teams with a lot of firepower, to 65 points.
• The Archer defense can make the difference between the breakthrough win and the cellar. In the first 2 games, UP proved to be a turnover-prone team, with 37 against NU and 21 versus Adamson. In particular, their guards have a tendency to cough up the ball, with their usual ballhandlers (guards and forwards) committing at least a dozen turnovers per game. Against Adamson, Braganza committed a crucial error in the last few seconds that resulted in a basket by the Falcons. Padilla achieved a dubious distinction by logging 10 errors in the first game.