Top seed University of the East capitalized on an early ejection of Mythical Five member Andwele Cabanero and secured a 76-70 victory over University of Santo Tomas to force a winner-take-all Game 3 in the UAAP Season 87 Junior High School Basketball Finals on Sunday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Cabanero was ejected at the 6:54 mark of the first quarter after striking Neil Garcia twice with a closed fist during a loose ball scuffle.
Despite UST’s predicament, the Junior Warriors were still forced to battle against a resilient UST squad, which was fueled by the combined 62-point effort of Jhon Canapi, Miguel Jubilado, and Dustin Bathan.
As Game 3 approaches, the Junior Warriors are looking to end a 39-year UAAP basketball title drought, while the Tiger Cubs aim to capture their first UAAP high school basketball championship since Season 74 (2001).
Cabanero, who starred in the Junior Warriors’ 98-84 Game 1 win with 21 points, 16 rebounds, and eight assists, will miss the decisive Game 3 due to his ejection in this game.
UE head coach Andrew Estrella expressed UE’s determination, saying, “That’s the motivation: to bring UE another championship. As I’ve said, huwag kayo susuko ‘eh, and then we won, so bakit pa namin ibibigay ito? Ang dami na namin pinaghirapan, in and out the court, ito na ‘yon ‘eh. Bakit pa namin ibibigay ‘eh nandito na kami sa Game 3.”
With 2:23 left in the game, UE had a slim two-point lead after a five-point spurt by Jolo Pascual and an inside basket from Gab Delos Reyes.
However, back-to-back layups by Jubilado and Canapi gave UST a 70-68 advantage with 1:44 remaining.
Canapi then committed three consecutive fouls, setting the stage for six straight free throws—four from Mav Mesina and two from Garcia—giving UE a 74-70 lead with 20.3 seconds remaining.
UST had a chance to close the gap, but Theodore Lim, who had taken most of Cabanero’s minutes, missed a crucial three-point attempt.
The scores:
UE 76 – Mesina 21, Garcia 13, Delos Reyes 11, Bungar 9, Pascual 8, Okebata 7, Ferreros 5, Oraa 2, Panganiban 0, Orca 0.
