Don’t look now, but an Ateneo-La Salle basketball championship is in the UAAP horizon for the first time since 2008.
After their masterful conquest of the then unbeaten Archers last Nov. 5, the Eagles repeated over the defending champion Far Eastern Tamaraws and the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers to grab second place with a win-loss record of 9-4 with two playing days left in the two-round eliminations.
The Archers, who reeled more from a bruised pride after their Ateneo debacle than anything else, kept their lofty place in the standings as expected with a final 13-1 slate following a come-from-behind 73-67 decision over the Tamaraws last Saturday.
Had the Tams prevailed, the Archers would still finish as the top team in the eliminations with a twice-to-beat bonus in the Final Four against the fourth-ranked squad.
In taking a third straight loss, the Tams, who were in second place in the early stages of the tournament following a seven-game win run, dropped to third at 8-5 with a final game set this Wednesday against tailender University of the East.
Just a game behind stands Adamson, which sealed the last Final Four berth last week by improving to 7-5.
But with the way the Eagles had been soaring, they are favored in the three-team scramble with the Tams and the Falcons for the other twice-to-beat incentive in the Final four.
FEU is expected to finish at 9-5 with its expected win over UE but the Eagles would move ahead at 10-4 with a win against Adamson this Wednesday.
Ateneo will actually be seeking to avenge a 62-61 stinger from Adamson in the first round. The Falcons, however, have to survive the National Bulldogs earlier to stay In the running for the No. 2 seed.
If the Falcons, who last reached the Final Four in 2011, defy the odds and forge a tie with the Tams and the Eagles for No. 2, the quotient will be applied with the lowest ranking team ending up as No. 4 and the top two squads playing off for the second Final Four slot.
The semifinal survivors will then clash in a best-of-three series for the title.
La Salle has won only once in four title meetings with Ateneo since joining the varsity league from the NCAA. Ateneo was the first to leave the NCAA in 1978 with La Salle following in 1986.
The Eagles won the last of their three titles at the expense of the Archers in 2008 after earlier pulling off the trick in 2002 and 1988. La Salle’s turn to deprive its arch rival of the championship came in 2001.
But the Archers, who last ruled the league in 2013 at the expense of the UST Tigers, have shown tremendous title promise this time notwithstanding their unexpected stumble against the Eagles in their last meeting.
They flashed the form and determination that carried them to a 12-0 start by rolling back the surprisingly tough Tamaraws just two days ago with an explosive 13-2 finish behind Jeron Teng and Ben Mbala.
New coach Aldin Ayo said the Archers were patient and resilient this time. “The boys just didn’t give up and they stuck to the system,” he added.