Tiger Cubs, Baby Tamaraws score victories

University of Santo Tomas (UST) staged a late rally to defeat University of the East (UE), 69-59, securing its third consecutive victory in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 87 high school boys’ basketball tournament Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

Meanwhile, Far Eastern University-Diliman (FEU-D) bounced back into the win column with a dominant 84-60 victory over a struggling University of the Philippines Integrated School squad.

With these wins, both the Tiger Cubs and the Baby Tamaraws now hold identical 3-1 records, sharing second place in the standings.

Coming off dominant wins against University of the Philippines Integrated School (UPIS) and defending champion Adamson University, UST found itself in a tough battle against UE.

The Tiger Cubs relied on the tandem of Gilas Youth standout Wacky Ludovice and Senegalese forward Racine Kane, who led a decisive 10-3 run to seal the win.

After UE trimmed its deficit to 59-56 with 6:52 remaining — courtesy of a layup by Ivorian center Jean Bana and a three-pointer from Kristoper Lagat — Ludovice and Kane took over. The Tiger Cubs also tightened their defense, forcing crucial errors from UE’s Ethan Aguas and Nicolash Lorenzo in the final minute.

Kane, the 6-foot-7 forward from Senegal, delivered a monster performance with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks. Ludovice added 11 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.

Co-captain Kirk Cañete contributed across the board with eight points, eight assists, seven rebounds, and four steals, while Charles Esteban chipped in seven points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks.

With the loss, UE dropped to an even 2-2 record.

Aguas paced the Junior Warriors with 15 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, and one steal, while Bana also tallied 15 points, seven rebounds, five blocks, and two steals.

Edry Alejandro had a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds, adding three steals and a block, while Lance Sabroso chipped in 10 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and one steal.

Reeling from a 75-58 loss to National University Nazareth School last Sunday, FEU-D overcame a strong first-quarter surge from UPIS and dominated the rest of the game despite missing key personnel.

Xyrus Gemao served a one-game suspension after receiving a disqualifying foul against NUNS, while head coach Denok Miranda was with FEU-D’s 16-and-under team, which is set to compete in the Japan B.League Under-16 Tournament from 30 January to 3 February.