Charles Dimaano delivered the game's biggest basket to lift De La Salle Zobel to a 70-65 victory over Ateneo High School in Season 85 UAAP high school boys' basketball tournament Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Dimaano scored 12 points, including a layup in the final 56 seconds, that gave the Junior Archers a 65-61 lead en route to their second win in four matches.
The Blue Eagles tried to turn things around in the crucial stretch, but LeBron Nieto missed a three-pointer in the final seven seconds that would have tied the match at 68.
With the win, the Junior Archers forged a tie with the Blue Eagles and University of Santo Tomas at the third spot behind unbeaten Nazareth School of National University (6-0), Adamson University (5-1) and Far Eastern University (5-1).
"It's all about heart," said Dimaano, a native of Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
"We just stuck with the game plan of coach Boris."
Shad Chang fired 14 points, three rebounds and three assists while Rhyle Melencio had another double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Junior Archers, who drew quality minutes from rookie Andrei Pabellano.
The 17-year-old Pabellano, a promising two-way guard from Binan, had only seven points in 15 minutes of action, but his defense on Ateneo top gunner LeBron Nieto gave La Salle a big lift.
Junior Archers coach Boris Aldeguer said their victory did not only improve their standing but also boosted their morale following a tough 71-74 loss to the Bullpups over the weekend.
"Aside from playing against Ateneo, it is an important game for us because we are already at 1-4 deep into the hole. It so happened that the important game came against Ateneo," Aldeguer said.
"The goal is to beat Ateneo if we want to make it to the Final Four."
Third Ebdane fired 16 points while Nieto finished with 15 points, four rebounds, three steals and three assists for the Blue Eagles.
La Salle hopes to sustain its momentum when it battles University of the Philippines Integrated School on the final day of the first round on Sunday.
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