Junior Warriors sweep first round

University of the East (UE) overpowered Adamson University, 85-63, to sweep the first-round play of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 87 junior high school basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Junior Warriors finished the round with a perfect 7-0 record, boasting an average winning margin of 21.71 points per game.

Six of UE’s seven wins were by double digits, though their 18 September matchup against second-seeded Far Eastern University (6-1) was closely contested, with UE pulling off an 82-74 victory.

“We still have a lot of work to do. Throughout the first round, I saw a lot of things to improve on, especially in this game,” Junior Warriors head coach Andrew Estrella said.

“This is a bad game for us. For my boys, it’s not enough to play for 20, 30, or 10 minutes. It should be full 40 minutes. We’ve learned a lot of lessons.”

UE came out firing, racing to a 19-point lead, 36-17, early in the second quarter.

Adamson, however, mounted a 19-10 run to cut the deficit to 10 points at halftime, 46-36.

But the Junior Warriors quickly regained control as the trio of Jolo Pascual, Enrico Bungar and Kiefer Panganiban sparked a 13-5 run to open the third quarter, extending their lead to 59-41.

Six consecutive points from Gab Delos Reyes and a layup by Mav Mesina pushed the lead to a game-high 24 points, 77-53, virtually sealing the win with 5:43 remaining.

“We’re thankful we swept the first round, but the second round is different. All the teams have adjusted and scouted us. When the second round comes, the target on our backs gets bigger. Everyone wants to beat us, so I remind the boys to stay composed and not focus on the bigger picture just yet,” Estrella added.

Bungar led the Junior Warriors with 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals, registering a plus-18 rating in just over 21 minutes of action.

Pascual contributed 13 points, four assists and two steals, while Ethan Oraa added 13 points, three rebounds, three steals and an assist.

Delos Reyes chipped in with 11 points, four rebounds, three blocks and two steals.

Meanwhile, De La Salle-Zobel had to dig deep to fend off the University of the Philippines Integrated School, 75-69, and end the round tied at third with University of Santo Tomas.