The View From the Armchair: Game 8 vs UE

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The Green Archers triumphed over the UE Warriors at the start of the second round yesterday, dominating UE for most of the 2nd half to romp to a 70-61 victory yesterday at the Araneta Coliseum. JV led the Archers' charge with 25 points after coming off a so-so performance in the previous game against the same team. The Archer bench also came through with 34 points to ably support the starters. With the win, the Archers stayed in second place with a 6-win, 2 loss record, while dropping UE to 4-4. Marko and Simon, two of the Archers who were injured in the first game, did not play. Marko is out for the season, but came to Araneta to lend his support. Simon, still plagued with headaches after his head bounced on the floor, watched the game on tv.

A slow start but great middle and ending kick

As in the first game, the first few minutes were played at a frenetic pace, driven by the nervous energy in the high-stakes game. Again, UE led the way at the start, building as much as a 7 point lead at before ending the quarter at 15-12. The Archers stepped up their offensive game and continued to muzzle UE's gunners in the second quarter to finish the first half ahead by 6 at 36-30. UE opened the second half with an 8-2 run to tie the game at 38-all. Following a Franz timeout, the Archers turned it on to open a double digit lead while holding UE to 8 points for the rest of the quarter. The final quarter was anticlimactic, as the Archers contented themselves with matching UE, 17-15  to close off the win. The Archers held the main UE shooters  to a combined 25 points, as the Archers harrassed Reyes, Zamar, Lingganay, and Martinez on the dribble, went around their screens, and forced them into hurried shots. Among the UE big men, only Llagas had any success, scoring 11 points. Espiritu and Thiele had miserable a night as each was hounded into 1/7 shooting from the field for a total of only 8 points from the two UE frontliners.

Offense

The four day rest seemed to have recharded the Green Archers, as they were more organized and composed on offense. The 3point shot returned as a main weapon, with the Archers going 6/15, led by JV with 3,  James, Peejay, and Rico with one each. The Archers sank 20 out of 54 two point attempts, led by the accurate sniping of JV (5/8) and James (3/6). Although Rico scored 11 points, it came on 1/6 shooting on 2pointers. JV and Rico were coincidentally the only players to have scored in double figures and who were awarded foul throws. JV was perfect, sinking all 6 of his tries, while Rico made 6 out of 8. Peejay narrowly missed hitting in double figures with 9. The tv sportscasters commented that whenever Peejay scores 7 or more points, the Archers win. Interesting bit of trivia, but I wouldn't use Peejay's score as the indicator of whether the Archers will win or lose a game. They will win or lose as a team.

Defense

The Archers continued their stranglehold on the UE offensive machinery, limiting the Warriors to 61 points in another low scoring game. The defensive pressure was consistent throughout the game, with UE only able to 15 points in the first, second, and fourth quarters and 16 in the third. So effective was the defense that the Archers held UE to 2 points in the first 6:30 of the 4th quarter while they pulled away to put the game out of reach. UE managed to put up 13 points in the last 3 1/2 minutes of the game, but the game outcome had already been decided by then.

The Archers successfully covered the passing lanes, disrupting many of the inside passes and forcing the UE bigs outside to receive the ball. The perimeter defense was excellent, preventing many of the open 3 pointers that UE made in the previous game. UE connected on only 4 out of 14 3pointers. The interior defense of Rico, Maui, James, Jovet, and Jwalsh also made it difficult for Espiritu, Llagas, and Thiele to get their points inside. In particular, Espiritu was harassed into an ineffective 3 points on 1/7 fg shooting. Despite being outsized by the UE frontline, Maui anchored the inside defense with 2 blocks.

Others

The active defense of La Salle netted the Archers more fastbreak points at 22-15, and forced UE to commit more turnovers at 21. We lost the rebounding battle, 40-48, as Franz played smallball for most of the game. Jwalsh played only 11 minutes, and Ferdinand was kept on the bench to allow the Archers to match the fast pace of UE. The Archers played better team ball, and this was reflected in a better assist numbers, 14-9.

What was different yesterday compared to their previous game against UE was the confidence and composure of the boys despite UE's hot start. They never deviated from the game plan, and played their roles to the hilt.

The Rookie Watch

This was another good game for the rookies, particularly LA and Maui. LA made the most of his 20 minutes on the floor with 6 points, 6 rebounds (2 offensive), 4 assists, before fouling out. While he logged 3 turnovers, he committed these while playing aggressively, something that Franz puts a premium on. Maui played the most minutes at 29, and tallied  4 points, 4 boards, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. Great all-around game from this rookie. Jovet played only for 8 minutes, but contributed with his 4 points on a 50% clip from the floor while bodying up on the UE big men. Joshua started the game, played for 4 minutes, and grabbed one 1 offensive rebound. Hyram saw action for 8 minutes in helping LA and JV in the ball handling and distribution chores. He finished with 1 rebound and 1 assist.

What needs work

The Archers will need to pay a little more attention and keep their presence of mind when inbounding the ball under pressure. Two of those inbound pases after a UE basket were intercepted and turned into points by the Warriors.

Rico's inside game needs to improve. He's a player with the height, length, and hops to have his way inside the paint. Yet whenever he goes up for an inside shot, it's usually a case of "tirang takot". He seems to go up without the conviction that he can make the shot, complicates things with his attempts to elude the block, and usually either is blocked or gets off an ugly shot that doesn't go in. I wonder if it would be possible to get someone to train him in how to operate in the paint. He relies mostly on his jumpshot, and has yet to develop a back to the basket move or a hook. Rico also has to learn to move without the ball, to get into scoring position in much the same way our rookies Maui and Jovet are able to do. Right now, he plays more or less as a small forward, receiving the ball on the perimeter and either trying to dribble drive or hoisting those 3pointers. Rico, please play your height. You'll be able to accomplish so much more when you realize just how tall and skilled you are.

What worked

First of all, the planning and preparation of the coaches. They worked on the players' mindset, giving them confidence that if they stick to the system and execute the game plan, they would be victorious. Back to Archer ball basics. And it worked.

After having seen the best of the UE game, the coaches planned their countermeasures. UE played the same game as last time, probably figuring that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". The La Salle changes were subtle, but threw UE off its game that had worked so well last Saturday. The adjustments were many: attacking the high screens, guarding the passing lanes, breaking down the UE perimeter defense that had shackled JV in the past, clogging the lane, getting our bigs to move without the ball, find the holes in the defense, and get the ball to the open man. The defense turned UE into a jumpshooting team which could not duplicate their uncanny accuracy in the first round.

The in-game coaching of Franz kept the Archers feet firmly planted on the ground and they maintained their composure even though UE made a run to tie it at 38-all. A Franz timeout pushed the lead up to double digits, which UE never seriously threatened after that telling sequence of plays. Great work by the coaching staff and the players.

In the last two games, he Archers were tried and tested under adversity, against an opponent seeking revenge for last year's humiliation in the finals. They learned from their loss, meticulously prepared for UE, and executed the plan to a 't'. This should augur well for the rest of the season.

UAAP Season 71: Not this time

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Fresh from their six-point loss to the University of the East just last Saturday, De La Salle University made sure that no repeat win will be scored by their erstwhile tormentor.  The Green Archers successfully regrouped to score a convincing victory over the UE Red Warriors, 70-61 at the start of the second round of eliminations of Season 71 of the UAAP Men’s Senior Basketball at the Araneta Coliseum.

The good thing about La Salle losing is that they come back stronger the next game. And this is exactly what happened in the Archers-Warriors second round game

The Green Archers conquered their runner-up last season despite the absence of key players Simon Atkins and Marko Batricevic, who suffered major injuries in their Saturday game against the Red Warriors.

“This is for Simon and Marko. It was a great effort on my players. They played well, especially the veterans, JV, Rico and James,” said Coach Franz Pumaren in the post-game interview.

The defending champions had a slow start scoring only 12 points in the first quarter and even trailed the Recto-based squad by as much as 7 points, 8-15. But the Green Archers recovered in the 2^nd quarter anchored on the 7 point-explosion of main man JV Casio to tie the count at 20-all early in the 2^nd. It was a ping-pong match, with both teams trading baskets until the LA Revilla steal and a completed fast break play, 2:53 left in the quarter, jumpstarted the Green Archers’ offense anew, with a 9-2 run which had the Archers grabbing the lead at halftime, 36-30.

After halftime, swingman Marcy Arellano surprised the Archer defense and unloaded 3 straight baskets and together with a jumper from Raffy Reyes, equalize the game anew at 38-38, 6:45 left in the quarter. The Green Archers were scoreless for 3 minutes until JV Casio sank a trey to breath life into the scant offense of the Green Archers. Veterans Rico Maierhofer, Peejay Barua, and James Managahas starred as the Green Archers erected an 11 point lead. And it had been the Green Archers since then.

The Green Archers cruised through the final quarter and maintained their double digit lead en rout to their 70-61 conquest of the Red Warriors

THE SCORES:

DLSU 70 – Casio 25, Maierhofer 11, Mangahas 9, Barua 9, Revilla 6, Villanueva 4, Mendoza 4, Walsham 2, Webb 0, Malabes 0, Bagatsing 0

UE 61 – Arellano 13, Llagas 11, Reyes 10, Zamar 5, Lingganay 5, Thiele 5, Martinez 5, Lee 4, Espiritu 3, Noble 0, Etrone 0, Bandaying 0

Quarter Scores: 12-15, 36-30, 53-46, 70-61

The View From the Armchair: Game 7 vs UE

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The Green Archers were battered and bruised but not bowed in losing to UE last Saturday, 62-68. Four Archers hit the floor, with two of the Archers forced out of the game with serious injuries early in the first quarter. Simon Atkins had to be rushed to the hospital after hitting the back of his head on the floor while defending against a driving Warrior. Marko suffered a season-ending ACL injury to the same knee that he spent a year rehabilitating. James went down on a sprained ankle but heroically came back to lead the Archers' scoring. Rico banged his knee against another player, and lay on the court for a few minutes until he could be helped back to the bench. Despite these early setbacks, the Archers fought back valiantly to cut the margin to six at the final buzzer.

In a quirk of scheduling, the Archers first game in the second round is against first round tormentor UE, tomorrow, August 7. Marko is out for the season, and Simon is expected to remain in sick bay for 1-2 weeks.

A rough start

Both teams had a ragged start and misfired on their early attempts. On a UE fastbreak attempt, Simon held his ground and drew a charge from Lingganay at the 8:15 mark of the first quarter, fell heavily on his back and banged his head on the floor. The accident stopped play for a few minutes, as Simon had to be strapped on a stretcher before being brought to the hospital. Marko's trey at 7:08 gave La Salle its only lead of the night, and on the next play seconds later, his knee buckled as he tried to stay in front of a driving Thiele.  Marko limped off the court, and although he was seen on tv giving the thumbs-up, could not return due to a recurrence of the ACL injury. The two injuries could have unsettled the Archers, as they struggled to find rhythm and consistency on offense and defense during the first 3 quarters. Only in the final quarter did the Archers's defense stiffen, as they outplayed UE to cut the lead down to six.

Offense

The Archers did not shoot well from the field, hitting only 3 out of 16 from the 3point range, and 22 out of 53 on 2point attempts. With the early departure of Simon, JV had to play extended minutes at the point guard position, and this took its toll as he tired out in the 4th quarter. JV was also heavily guarded wherever he went on the court, and was limited to just six attempts from the floor for a total of 9 points. James suffered a sprain, but came back to lead the charge of the Archers in the second half to finish with a team-high 14 points. LA Revilla manfully filled in for Simon, and scored in double figures with 10 points on 1/2 from 3point land and 3/4 on 2 point attempts. Maui put in another sterling performance with 8 points while leading the Archers in rebounding with 9, aside from doing his usual defensive chores. Peejay had an off night, missing all 4 of his 3pointers and hitting only 3/9 2pointers. Rico's points contributions were sorely missed, as he misfired on both his 3point tries and sank only 1 out of 6 from the floor.  Most of those attempts were ill-advised shots, which could have been simpler if Rico had just gone straight to the hoop instead of double pumping to avoid blocks. Rico has to remember that he has the agility, length and jumping ability to shoot over most big men straight up. He could also try to develop a hook around the basket, something which Ateneo's Al Hussaini has shown this season. Perhaps he should take pointers from Mac Cardona on those quick hooks and floaters, instead of just relying on his jumper. We will miss Marko's potential production from inside and outside - he sank his first and only attempt, a 3pointer before limping out of the game.

Defense

The Archers held the high-powered UE offense to just 68 points, but permitted UE to score enough to build a margin that cushioned the Archers' last ditch stand in the last 10 minutes. The UE shooters' hot hands enabled them to connect on 9 out of 18 3point attempts. The success of the UE outside guns forced the Archers' defense to extend, and this allowed the UE big men some space to maneuver for close-in shots. Martinez was on fire, draining 5/7 3pointers, and was supported by Zamar who made 2/3 from outside. Thiele, Llagas, and Espiritu combined for 21 points around the paint, as they exploited the gaps created by the dribble penetrations of the UE guards Lee, Lingganay, and Martinez. With the UE offensive machine clicking on all cylinders, it was difficult for La Salle to match their intensity after the injuries decimated the Archers' player rotation.

Others

The Green Archers matched UE in the rebounding department, 44-43. Maui led the way with 9 boards, followed by the injured James and Rico with 8 apiece. Peejay somewhat made up for his subpar shooting performance with 6 rebounds. James was particularly active on the offensive end despite his sprain, pulling down 5 offensive rebounds, followed by Maui with 3. Simon's absence was felt in the assist area, as La Salle was out-assisted, 12-15. Hyram shared the ball distribution role with LA and JV, and assisted on 4 of the La Salle baskets. The Archers also committed more errors with 20, compared to 17 by UE.

The Rookie Watch

Coach Franz went back to a 12-man rotation, but with Simon and Marko out on injuries, only 4 rookies saw action. Maui logged the most minutes with 26, proving his value on both ends of the court with his defense, rebounding, and scoring. He'll just have to develop a bit more confidence in his mid-range jumper. Coming off a neck injury, LA played 20 minutes and ably contributed in the scoring and ball handling areas. Hyram played 13 minutes and helped break the UE press, aside from grabbing 5 rebounds , 4 assists, and 2 steals in a good all-around game. Joshua started the game, but played only 7 minutes while scoring 1 point. Incidentally, former Archer candidate Noble played for 5 minutes but was held scoreless.

What needs work

UE came prepared with defensive measures specifically targetted at our key players: JV and Rico. JV was hounded by a UE guard whenever he was on the court, and could not find enough space for his jumpers. Their press was also effective in forcing our guards to use up the shot clock, which resulted in hurried shots with time running out. We will have to watch our turnovers, particularly with Simon out of commission, since UE turned many of these into fastbreak points. The Archers will also have to watch out for penetrations and cuts, as the Warriors repeatedly found holes in the defensive set up.

What worked

La Salle finally played Archer ball in the last quarter, with the trademark defensive pressure limiting UE to just 6 points. If they can continue to play that way, UE will have its hands full. Also, as stated by bigfreeze_bibby in AP, the Archers must match the intensity of UE. The coaches will come prepared with a game plan to counteract UE's aggressive game, and if the Archers can execute it well, UE may just find itself backpedalling throughout the game in much the same way they did in the finals last year.

UAAP Season 71: Green Archers bow to Red Warriors.

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With key players figuring in injuries, the Green Archers got a beating from the University of the East Red Warriors, 68-62, in the UAAP Men’s Basketball at the Araneta Coliseum last Saturday.

Just minutes after the opening tip-off, sophomore playmaker Simon David Atkins, suffered a head injury while trying to get a charging foul from UE’s Rudy Lingganay. Although Atkins did get the offensive foul, he hit his head hard on the floor, as the Green and White gallery watched in horror.  Atkins was brought out of the playing court with a stretcher on the way to the hospital. Atkins remained conscious after the fall, but complained of blurry vision. As of press time, there were still no updates on the condition of the former Baby Archer.

Later in the first quarter, center Marko Batricevic was also taken out of the playing court and never came back after hitting a rare three-pointer. He landed hard on a rehabilitated knee. It was reported that Batricevic would be out for the season due to an ACL injury. Forward James Mangahas suffered cramps twice in the ballgame even as main gun Rico Maierhofer also got taken out of the game after he was down on the floor in the 3^rd quarter.

“Today, the real UE Warriors played,” remarked UE Coach Dindo Pumaren.

It was a see-saw affair in the early part of the first quarter, with the teams even at 9-9, 2:47 in the first. Green Archer rookie LA Revilla sank a three point shot and gave De La Salle its highest lead of the ballgame at 3 points, 12-9. This lead however, would turn out to be the Green Archer’s last, as the Warriors responded with a 10-3 run anchored on back-to-back baskets from Paul Lee and back-to-back triple from James Martinez. This pushed the Warriors to a 4 point lead, 19-15 at the end of the first.

And the Warriors never looked back.

In the second quarter, the Green Archers struggled with their offense as the Season 71 runner up’s double teaming efforts was successful in denying the defending champion’s shooters of a clear look of the basket. On the other hand, the Red Warriors, reminiscent of their deadly form last season that gave them a rare 14 game sweep, pounded on the Green Archers with 4 three point conversions in the second quarter alone. As the Green Archers’ main guns got muzzled by the pesky defense of the Red Warriors, De La Salle’s rookies took up the scoring chores. Neophytes Revilla, Maui Villanueva and Hyram Bagatsing scored to keep the Warriors within striking distance at halftime, 39-31.

Casio tried to breathe life to the Green Archers’ game with a three pointer to open up the third canto. But the Recto-based squad was fully loaded after the 1^st half as they mounted a 10-0 run after the Casio triple, and threatened to pull away from the Archers, 49-34, 4:23 left in the 3^rd. Unfazed by the Warriors onslaught, James Mangahas led the Archers’ cause scoring 6 points towards the end of the 3rd. However, his efforts were not enough as the Warriors continued to hit the baskets. The quarter ended with the Red Warriors enjoying their highest lead of the ballgame at 16, 62-46.

Mangahas and Revilla led the defending champions in mounting their own 10-2 rally at the opening of the last quarter to move closer to the Red Warriors, 56-64 with 6:05 left in the ballgame. The Green Archers defense got to work as they limited the Warriors to only 6 points in the final quarter, but their offense was not enough as the Archers continued to struggle in scoring the much-needed points. The Archers moved to within 6 points, 62-68, courtesy of split free throws from rookies David Webb and Revilla and a lay-up from Barua 2:10 left in the ballgame. But both teams failed to score a single basket in the final two minutes, en route to the Red Warrior’s victory.

“They played good, we played bad. But we played a good game,” remarked Coach Franz Pumaren.

With the loss, the Green Archers ended their first round campaign at 5-2 win loss card, good for solo second, behind current league leaders Ateneo Blue Eagles and FEU Tamaraws. The Red Warriors, on the other hand, improved to four wins and three losses to secure solo third place, a full game behind the Green Archers.

MORE GAME PHOTOS AT http://greenarchersph.multiply.com

THE SCORES:

UE 68 – Martinez 19, Zamar 12, Thiele 11, Lee 7, Llagas 6, Reyes 4, Espiritu 4, Lingganay 3, Arellano 2, Noble 0, Etrone 0

DLSU 62 – Mangahas 14, Revilla 10, Casio 9, Villanueva 8, Barua 6, Bagatsing 4, Batricevic 3, Maierhofer 3, Walsham 2, Malabes 2, Webb 1, Atkins 0

Quarter Scores: 19-15; 39-31; 62-46; 68-62