Almost but not quite. Just when we were beginning to think that entertaining any hopes of making the final 4 would be an exercise in futility, the Green Archers proved us wrong. Again.

The Green Archers flirted with disaster early in the game against UP, in the process almost preserving their immaculate record in the second round before managing to eke out a 1-point victory, 73-72. In a game of streaking teams (losing, that is), UP threatened to break theirs and snuff out our faint hopes of making the playoffs. Only a almost superhuman effort behind a 50-point second half production allowed the Archers to rally from 12 points down at the half to wrest the lead in the final 10 minutes and weather UP’s last ditch stand. I guess we were lucky that UP is a weak team, or our steak would still be alive. And we’d bid adieu to the playoffs. Not so fast. We’re still alive, albeit just barely.

UP sprinted to an early lead behind another Archer single digit quarter (only 7 points in the first)  which, coupled with our double digit turnovers, allowed them to build a 16-point lead at the end of the first quarter, 7-23, then log an unbelievable 20-point lead at 11-31 early in the second quarter. Those miscues, backed up by another porous zone defense (we did it again!!!) allowed UP to dominate the proceedings in the first 20 minutes. Only a strong finishing kick allowed the Archers to trim the lead to 12 at the half. But they made up for that lackluster performance by ratcheting up the intensity in the final 20 minutes, cutting down the turnovers to just 5 while forcing UP to cough up the ball 11 times in the same period to end the game with just a hairline lead. Read more…

With elimination staring them in the face, the Green Archers showed grit and determination down the stretch to escape with a 73-72 come-from-behind victory over the UP Fighting Maroons. With the win, La Salle continues to hang on to their slim chances for the last remaining slot in the final four.

At the start it appeared La Salle would be headed for another disappointing loss after trailing 23-7 at the end of the first quarter. UP’s lead went as high as 20 points as they continued to out-play and out-work the sluggish Archers. But just when every La Sallian thought the season seemed over at that point, the team finally woke up and went on a 10-2 run to trim the deficit to a manageable 12 points at halftime.

The Green Archers continued its comeback in the third as they turned up their pressure defense to force UP to commit several turnovers and hurried shots. Almond Vosotros’ floater in the key gave the La Salle the upper-hand temporarily before Mike Gamboa beat the buzzer with a trey to give the Maroons a 2 point lead entering the final period.

But Almond was not done yet. The crafty guard scored 10 of his 12 points in the payoff quarter as he and LA Revilla helped La Salle erect a 57-50 lead early in fourth. Baskets by Mike Silungan and Francis Maniego kept the Maroons within striking distance heading into the final minutes of the match. A split by Silungan and a basket off a turnover by Paolo Romero cut La Salle’s lead to just 2 points with less than 20 seconds remaining.

With the Archers leading by 3 after a split by Norbert Torres, the Maroons had two chances to tie the game but both shots came up short. Romero grabbed the offensive rebound after the second 3-point attempt to score on a putback as time expired.

Torres led the team with 15 points and 12 rebounds while Vosotros and Revilla added 12 and 11 points respectively. Silungan top scored for the Maroons with 19 markers.

This is the Green Archers’ first win in the second round. With a 5-7 record, the team must sweep their last two games and hope that UST loses their next two assignments to force a tie for the 4th semis seat. La Salle does not control their fate but this should not stop them from aspiring to end the elimination round on a high note.

Refuse To Lose!

Boxscores

DLSU 73 – Torres 15, Vosotros 12, Revilla 11, Dela Paz 8, Van Opstal 7, Tampus 5, Paredes 4, Villanueva 4, Atkins 4, Sara 2, Marata 1, Gotladera 0, Mendoza 0

UP 72 – Silungan 19, Maniego 14, Romero 12, Gamboa 12, Montecastro 6, Juruena 5, Manuel 2, Gomez 2, Mbah 0, Pascual 0, Gingerich 0

Quarterscores 7-23;23-35;48-50;73-72

The Green Archers will try to keep its slimming  final four hopes alive as they face the UP Fighting Maroons this Sunday. Game time is at 3PM.

With a 4-7 record, La Salle is in danger of missing the final four for the second time in the past three seasons. The team is in the midst of a 4-game losing streak since the start of the second round and another loss would more or less knock them out already from final four contention.

Just like in 2009, the Archers face a big uphill climb to get out of the hole they’re in. They must sweep their next three games against UP, NU and FEU and hope that UST (6-5) falls to at least two or all of their last three elimination round opponents (AdU, FEU and NU) for them to force a playoff or gain outright entry to the semis.

That’s easier said than done. Though the Archers have the talent to pull it off, the question is if they still have the hunger and drive to extend their season. On the other hand, the Tigers have been playing inspired basketball as of late and it’s hard to imagine for them to lose all of their next three games. Let’s see what happens in the coming weeks.

The task is indeed daunting, are the Archers up to the challenge?