Hail to De La Salle

La Salle celebrates its ninth overall championship. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Making good on his promise to deliver a championship on his final year, De La Salle star Jeron Teng came up with a virtuoso effort that will go down as one of the finest in the history of the UAAP Finals.

Attacking without letup and finding his range from the perimeter, the King Archer keyed a strong start and nailed big baskets down the stretch as La Salle completed its date with destiny after a 79-72 triumph over fierce rival Ateneo Blue Eagles last night at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

It was La Salle’s ninth men’s basketball crown in the UAAP—the most in the league since it became an eight-team field in 1986. Ateneo is second at eight.

In front of a delirious La Salle gallery, Teng and the rest of the Archers broke down as the final buzzer sounded, their emotions finally boiling over after a season where expectations were at their highest and every mistake was magnified.

“I just wanted to give everything for La Salle,” said Teng, who made the Archers’ first eight points and finished with 28 points on 12 of 20 shooting. “This was my goal from the very beginning.”

Finishing the season with a 16-1 record, the Archers admitted reaching their goal of winning a second title in four seasons wasn’t as easy as it looked. The team battled through soaring expectations and faced squads that seemed to find another gear against the Archers, who had Ben Mbala, considered one of the most dominant players in the league in recent years.

But each of the Archers embraced the challenge, taking on roles they weren’t even used to playing as coach Aldin Ayo instituted his “Mayhem” system that put emphasis on pressure defense.

“We just embraced the pressure all season long,” Ayo said. “We entered the finals against Ateneo and the pressure grew because of the rivalry. But the bottomline was it is just basketball. It wasn’t easy. By the time we played Ateneo, we already played our worst game against Adamson. That was the turning point because they surrendered to our system and just played basketball.”

“For me as long as we have one goal and that is to win the championship and we will do everything, even if it requires us to follow the system, we’ll do that,” said Teng, who was named Finals MVP.

Legend cemented

Everything culminated with a scintillating effort in Game 2, where Teng took charge early and carried the Archers on his back, cementing his status as a La Salle legend.

“He (Teng) came out ready,” said Mbala who had 18 points and 10 rebounds on the day he received his Season 79 MVP trophy.

“He was ready to shoot. I told him I’m expecting them to clog the lane and double team on me so if you’re open, take it. I cannot win it all by myself.”

Taking cue from Teng’s blistering start, the Archers seized control early and quelled repeated rallies by the hard-fighting Eagles down the stretch.

Kib Montalbo also sparkled with nine points on three triples aside from three steals, while rookie Aljun Melecio also made his presence felt with a five-point cluster in the final period that kept the Eagles at bay.

Ateneo came within 69-73, but Mbala scored four straight points, including two free throws to seal the victory, 77-69, even as he was serenaded by MVP chants.