Sky Jazul took charge when it mattered most, carrying Ateneo de Manila University on his young shoulders and keeping the title in Katipunan after a thrilling 21-18 victory over Far Eastern University-Diliman (FEU-D) in Season 88 University Athletic Association of the Philippines 16-and-under 3x3 basketball final on Sunday at Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque City.
Meanwhile, the Baby Tamaraws also captured the 19-and-under division title for the fourth straight season, ending the University of Santo Tomas Tiger Cubs’ undefeated run with a 21-17 win in the final.
The Blue Eagles trailed 14-18 before the reigning Junior High School Boys’ 3x3 Most Valuable Player took matters into his own hands.
Jazul knocked down back-to-back deuces to tie the game at 18-all.
Then, with 20.4 seconds left, the 5-foot-9 guard nailed a floater to give Ateneo a one-point lead.
After a defensive stop, Jazul found space and buried the gold-winning deuce from the upper-right elbow with 8.9 seconds remaining, sealing Ateneo’s back-to-back championship.
“I was unlucky in the first five minutes. I could not score so I made it up in the crucial moments,” said Jazul, the son of former Letran College standout RJ Jazul.
Sky finished with 11 points built on four deuces, with support from JD Juangco (five points) and Franco Bernarte (four points).
Ateneo, which finished the elimination round as the second seed with a 5-2 win-loss record — including a 21-15 loss to FEU-D on Day 2 — ousted De La Salle-Zobel (DLSZ) in the semifinals, 19-11, behind Jazul’s nine points.
FEU-D, on the other hand, defeated University of the East, led by reigning 5-on-5 MVP Goodluck Okebata, 21-15 in the other semifinal pairing.
Okebata and UE salvaged the bronze medal with a 22-13 win over DLSZ in the third-place match.
In the 19-and-under final, Marc Burgos, who is committed to the FEU seniors program, dropped 10 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field, including the match-winner with 2:10 remaining.
In the girls’ division, the Lady Bullpups dethroned the Junior Tigresses with a 20-13 victory.
Ruiza Olmos scored 10 points and grabbed three rebounds, while Zayden Rosano added five points and nine rebounds in the finale to cap a perfect 5-0 season.
In the girls’ third-place match, DLSZ routed Ateneo, 16-1.