La Salle Beats FEU Again!
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The good news is that La Salle beat FEU today, 74-66. The bad news is that we almost had a repeat of the our loss to UST.
La Salle started out solid both on defense and on offense. JV Casio hit some key shots while Rico Maierhofer and PJ Walsham was dominating the boards. There was very good set plays and they were running the open floor well.
Though we led almost the whole game, FEU just wouldn’t give up. But whatever run FEU made, La Salle would come back with a counter. The first 3 1/2 quarters were controlled by La Salle. But with about 4 minutes to go and La Salle up by 13, FEU slowly but surely began catching up. With about 2 minutes to go La Salle’s lead went down to 5 and everyone was praying that the ghost of the UST game would not return.
Careless possessions resulted in easy turnovers that FEU converted. We were still rushing the game even if we were on top. It took Pocholo Villanueva to take control of the team and bring some order to the madness.
After Coach Franz called a timeout, the team came back in and sealed the victory
As usual, the La Salle bench proved once again that they are for real. I am very impressed by the overachieving Kish Co. This kid is a hard worker, unselfish and will bang the boards when needed.
Simon Atkins is also showing signs of his being the next starting point guard on this team. It’s just too bad that Brian Illad cant seem to be consistent, but you have to recognize the heart and hard work that he puts into his game.
Pocholo Villanueva once again proved how important he is to this team. In the closing minutes of the game, with FEU making a run, Pocholo took over and that made the difference.
Kudos too to Ferdinand! He is definitely a part of the future of this team. The kid works hard and has the built to mix it up with anyone in the UAAP.
But again I have to say that Malabes really gave me high blood pressure when he was in the game. I have said in the past that he is a feast or famine player and today he proved me right again. Many of those around me at the Cuneta Astrodome seemed to have noticed and were as frustrated as I was.
Malabes shoots a 3 that goes airball. He takes another 3 that’s way off the mark. He takes another one and this time makes it. On the very next play he makes a beautiful steal but ends up making an airball lay-up. Every time he held the ball, I would shudder hoping that he would not take the 3.
TY Tang is still not the same TY Tang we expected. Today he played a much better game than his previous ones, but still there was a lot to be desired. He still takes those bad shots and has been uncharacteristically careless with the ball. I can see a lack of confidence in his face and unless he has a break out game, he will only come down harder on himself.
Maierhofer played his best game so far. He kept out of foul trouble and dominated the boards. He had one easy under goal shot though that he missed. He should have just dunked it. But all in all he played the game that many expected him to play. However he was still not at his best. He will come around when he is needed most.
One bright light in today’s game was the defense that La Salle has always been known for. Finally the trademark Franz style defense was there and this was what won us this game. The dark cloud of this game is still the inconsistent foul shooting. I pray that they do something to improve on this because good foul shooting wins the close game.
Well UE is now 9-0 after beating UST. That means that we are at 2nd place with a 6-3 record. If UE goes unbeaten, then the playoffs will pit no. 4 against no. 3 with the winner of that game playing no. 2. The winner will then play UE in a best of 3 finals.
UE has already beaten Ateneo and UST in the 2nd round. Only FEU, NU and La Salle theoretically stand in their way for a sweep. Let’s just hope that La Salle breaks the UE streak.
Tags: Columns, sports, The-Green-MindRelated posts
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whamos
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Tuesday, 21 August 2007 at 10:07 am
You’re right Tony, free throws are the ones that killed DLSU in the games they’ve lost. For me, DLSU can beat UE. Why? Because in most games, DLSU easily dictates the tempo of the game. If the Archers could really slow-up the tempo of their game against UE, TY&Co. could have a fighting chance.