University of the East and Far Eastern University-Diliman locked in the first and second seeds in the UAAP Season 87 Junior High School Basketball Tournament with commanding victories on Wednesday, Nov. 27, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Junior Warriors bounced back from their first loss of the season with a statement 100-58 wire-to-wire win against the also-ran Adamson Baby Falcons while the Baby Tamaraws cruised past the winless University of the
Philippines Integrated School Fighting Maroons, 73-51, securing twice-to-beat advantages in the Final Four.
UE is set to face the fourth seed, which is still to be determined among National University Nazareth School, Ateneo de Manila University, and De La Salle-Zobel.
FEU-D, on the other hand, will battle third-seeded University of Santo Tomas, which was still playing Ateneo as of press time. The Final Four schedule will be announced later.
After suffering their first defeat at the hands of FEU-D last Sunday, the Junior Warriors responded emphatically to finish the elimination round with a 13-1 record.
UE’s dominance was evident early as they built a 32-17 lead in the first quarter. A 16-2 surge to close the second period pushed their advantage to 60-30 by halftime.
The lead ballooned to 46 points, 98-52, following consecutive layups from Goodluck Okebata and free throws by Jared Ferreros.
Nine Junior Warriors scored eight or more points, led by Mav Mesina’s bounce back outing of 15 points, six rebounds, five assists, and five steals. Mesina was held to just two points against the Baby Tams.
Gab Delos Reyes added 14 points and six boards, while Okebata posted a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Kiefer Panganiban and Brian Orca chipped in 10 points each.
The Baby Tamaraws extended their winning streak to five games, finishing the eliminations with an 11-3 record.
