Nothing is more intense than when bitter rivals collide once more this coming Saturday, as the revamped DLSU Green Archers face the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Coming off from a heartbreaking 48-46 loss from the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, the Green and White hopes to get back on the winning track by earning a win over their arch nemesis.
La Salle made a strong impression in the recently concluded FilOil Cup by stunning the Eagles in a nail-biting 62-59 overtime thriller last June 2 at The Arena in San Juan.
In their first round encounter last UAAP Season, LA Revilla’s spectacular performance was not enough, as the Eagles relied on the sudden 22-point outburst of Kiefer Ravena to spoil the Archers’ late comeback attempt for a 82-71 victory.
Their troubles eventually carried on in the second round, as it was a woeful ending in their last matchup, for the Archers struggled as the Eagles torched them for a lopsided 79-62 win.
Much has changed then for the fabled Taft-based cagers when head coach Gee Abanilla started manning the sidelines, creating wonders in developing the potentials of La Salle’s players.
La Salle went on a two-game winning streak at the start of the season, at the expense of UP and UE, while Ateneo absorbed their first loss to UST, but bounced back by blowing out Adamson and National University.
Both teams currently have a 2-1 win-loss record heading into this matchup.
The LaSallian now gives you the storylines to watch out for their much-anticipated first round encounter.
Don’t get Slaughtered
For the Archers to settle the tides for this game, the giant Eagle must be stopped.
Standing tall at over 7-feet tall, Greg Slaughter poses a lot of problems to our frontline with his size and array of post moves.
Slaughter posts norms of 13 points per game, and recently tallied in 14 points in their blowout against coach Eric Altamirano and the Bulldogs. Aside from being a force down low, he also grabs an impressive nine board per game.
To render his presence on the paint ineffective, La Salle’s horde of big men in Norbert Torres, Arnold Van Opstal, Jovet Mendoza, Fonzo Gotladera, and Papot Paredes must force him out of his comfort zones to make him take tough and contested jump shots.
It was well observed that the former University of Visayas Lancer patrolled freely beneath the basket in their previous encounters, making the big men from Taft non-existent.
For the bigs of La Salle to limit his effectiveness, look for them attack him aggressively the whole time to lead to foul trouble, which may force him out of the game.
Jed Manguera’s lockdown defense
Defense is the best offense.
Amidst the alarming number of injuries last FilOil Cup, Jed Manguera suddenly emerged out of nowhere, giving the Abanilla-mentored squad the lockdown defender they sorely need.
Assigned to guard the team’s best offensive juggernaut, Manguera hounds them with his defensive tenacity, leaving them dazed and confused. It was very evident with his latest victim in Tamaraw RR Garcia, who only scored a pedestrian six points in their last game.
Kiefer Ravena managed to tally in 14 points in their preseason encounter, but needed 17 shots for it.
Look for the green defender to suffocate the offensive explosiveness of the “Phenom” by making him work really hard for his shots and clog his driving lanes.
With his long wingspan and defensive prowess, look for this defensive wonder to put constant pressure on the Ateneo offense.
Blue and Green Tandems
“I think the one-two punch of LA Revilla and Jeron Teng is really good. I think we have to exploit this also.”
Jeron Teng and LA Revilla gives the Archers a scoring duo to rely upon especially when the time needs it most.
This Golden Stallion and Red Cub tandem averages a combined 25 points per game, along with 14 caroms per game. Revilla is also the team’s assist leader, dishing out an average of six time per ball game.
On the other hand, Ravena and Nico Salva have been in strides in their past games.
This lethal pair averages a combined 32 points per game, which indicates that they do most of the scoring chores for the defending UAAP Champions. Salva is also the team’s best free-throw shooter, with a perfect 100 percent shooting in the Eagles’ past three games.
Promising Rookies
Recruitment plays a big part in turning teams around in their times of trouble.
La Salle made waves right after they acquired Jeron Teng last summer to suit up for the Green and White. Aside from Teng, Mark Tallo, LSGH ace Thomas Torres and Zobel standout Gabby Reyes completes their rookie class.
Teng is that swingman who makes a living by constantly putting pressure on the opposition’s defense, by driving down the lane with ease. Xavier School’s pride is putting an average 12 points and 5 rebounds per game this early in the UAAP Season.
On the other hand, Tallo is that point guard who showcases a bevy of superior athleticism, with his fancy passing and agile quickness.
Expect the Cebuano hotshot to have extra motivation in this game, for he was suspended in their earlier match in the preseason, succumbing to pressure in their last match against FEU.
The Tallo and Teng tandem provides a lethal dose of Animo for their Katipunan counterparts, given the fact that they show no fear in late-game situations, as they demand for the ball.
Free Throws
This has been the consistent kryptonite for the Archers.
Teams use their free throw woes to force the Green and White out of their rhythm, which proves to be costly for the team especially in end-game situations.
So far, the best foul shooter for the Archers is Yutien Andrada, shooting 80 percent from the charity stripe, followed by team captain LA Revilla, shooting at 75 percent.
If the Archers want to succeed over the defending champions, then they must take advantage of their trips to the foul line to earn easy points.
But if the shots go south again, watch them dominate the boards for second chance points.
Another chapter is ready to be written for the best and most intense basketball rivalry in UAAP.
Look for the men in green to use their bench depth to their advantage, as their blue counterparts don’t have that much offensive firepower, forcing their starters to log in major minutes.
Don’t expect a smooth sailing for the team though, and be ready to witness a highly physical and grind-it-out style of play.
For the boys of Taft to effectively win this bout, look for them to pound it hard inside the paint, dominate the boards, and exert an all-out hustle to prevent their Katipunan counterparts from controlling the game.
After the final buzzer goes off, one shall stand and one shall fall.
