A trip through memory lane: Cardona powers PBA Green Team

Crowd intensity is usually at an all-time high when it comes to La Salle-Ateneo games, but when it came to the Blue and Green Dream Game, it took a little encouragement from the players themselves to get the crowd going in the PBA Green Team’s 111-108 win over the PBA Blue Team. The Green Team was bannered by La Salle alumni who are now playing in the PBA while the Blue Team was composed of Ateneans who have moved on to the professional basketball league.

Though the crowd wasn’t into it until late in the game, the players were pushing the tempo, trash talking, pounding their chests and hustling up and down the court like it was another DLSU-ADMU match-up from ten years ago. With the game tied at 108 though with under a minute remaining, the crowd was on their feet and it felt like a flashback to the days of dark green La Salle jerseys with names like Ritualo, Cortez and Cardona plastered on them.

Ateneo started out with a 6-0 advantage but La Salle kept the game close, relying on Mac Cardona and Don Allado early on. The first quarter ended with the Blue Eagles up by one, 28-27, but Mike Cortez, a former UAAP Rookie of the Year, spearheaded La Salle’s attack in the second quarter in classic fashion to take a 59-57 advantage after two quarters of play.

After the halftime break, it was all Cardona and he put on a vintage performance. Showing flashes of brilliance that gave the crowd flashbacks of the Green Archers of yore, Cardona scored six out of his eight third quarter points in a run that gave the Green Team a 68-59 lead with eight and a half minutes left in the third. Ateneo responded with a 10-2 run of their own, capped off by Rabeh Al-Hussaini who made a three point play that cut the Green-and-White squad’s lead to a single point. The Green Archers went on a 17-10 run to close out the third, entering the final canto with a 87-79 lead.

Ateneo kept the game close in the fourth period by going on a 10-2 run that tied things up at 89 with nine minutes left in the game. JC Intal gave the blue side the lead at 97-95 with five minutes left, but a Cardona three with less than four minutes remaining in the game tied the score once more at 102. Both teams then began exchanging baskets up until less than a minute to play and they found themselves knotted up at 108.

Allado, a two-time UAAP MVP back in 1997 and 1998, broke the tie for good with a baseline jumper to give La Salle a 110-108 edge with over forty seconds left to play. He then grabbed a key rebound on the other end after Magnun Membrere missed a contested three point shot on the ensuing possession to seal the deal for coach Franz Pumaren’s squad. Cardona would then split his free throws to give the La Salle alumni their last point of the game.

Cardona, who played for La Salle from 2001 up until 2004, received MVP honors after his 29 points, four rebounds and three steals powered the Green Team to victory. The current Meralco Bolt utilized his full arsenal of patented jump hooks and made key three pointers to help bring joy to a Lasallian community that has been suffering from a UAAP title drought since winning it all back in 2007.

The Scores

Green Team 111: Cardona 29, Arana 21, Sharma 14, Allado 11, Gaco 9, Yeo 7, Maierhofer 7, Cortez 6, Tang 5, Atkins 2, Ritualo 0, Casio 0

Blue Team 108: Tiu 29, Al-Hussaini 26, Gonzales 13, Membrere 10, Intal 9, Alvarez 6, Baclao 6, Monfort 5, Bugia 4

Quarterscores: 27-28, 59-57, 87-79, 111-108