Ateneo star Thirdy Ravena. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
ANTIPOLO—The stakes are high as Ateneo goes for an elimination round sweep in the UAAP Season 82 on Wednesday against University of the Philippines.
The crucial game, though, is nothing out of the ordinary for Blue Eagles star Thirdy Ravena, who also sees his team’s 13-0 record the same way.
“Business is not done. Just because we’re 13-0 doesn’t mean that we get to celebrate and be complacent,” Ravena said after playing a key role in his team’s 88-51 whipping of National University on Saturday.
“Actually, the biggest trap possible for us is to think that it means something without the championship. So for us, 13-0 means, basically just 13-0. It doesn’t mean anything else, anything more than that. What we’re trying to do is we’re trying to focus on winning the next game in order to make sure we do our jobs.”
The Blue Eagles, who are seeking a third straight crown, did just that against the Bulldogs as they showed no letup from the opening tip.
Murmurs of a possible sweep grew louder as Ateneo posted one dominant win after another.
“I mean, you can’t avoid it. It’s always in the talks, you see it on social media, you hear your friends talking about it. they approach you and they ask you if we can sweep,” said Ravena, who finished with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists.
“But what we do is we really look at what people in the team look at which is to leave a legacy to be the best team that we can possibly be and I think winning follows that if we trust one another just like how we showed in this game, continue that and even be better it’s gonna be good.”