Ateneo-La Salle rivalry grabs spotlight; UST takes on NU

TOP SEEDS Ateneo and University of Santo Tomas vowed they have more to show against two spirited teams vying to defy the odds again in the UAAP Final Four.

Ateneo tries to get closer to its goal for a fifth straight crown when the Blue Eagles tackle fierce rival La Salle in a blockbuster semifinal battle at 4 p.m. today at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Also hoping to sustain their strong run, the Tigers try to quickly dispose of a National University side riding on a breakthrough stint in the other semifinal showdown at 12 noon.

“I think we still haven’t played our best basketball,” said Ateneo coach Norman Black. “Hopefully we have reserved it for this moment, for the Final Four.”

Both the Blue Eagles and the Tigers hold a twice-to-beat advantage, the incentive given to the top two teams at the end of the eliminations.

“We’re making sure that we’ll be sharper in the Final Four,” said UST coach Pido Jarencio. “We don’t want to waste the opportunity. We already have the advantage, so we have to grab it.”

Although the Green Archers and the Bulldogs got swept by their semifinal foes in the eliminations, both squads think they’ve toughened up after taking the hard route to the semifinals.

“The good thing about the Final Four is it’s a clean sheet,” said NU star Ray Parks, who just bagged his second straight Most Valuable Player plum. “Even though they have the twice-to-beat, it’s the playoffs so they still have to fight tough.”

The Bulldogs made the most out of their second chance by winning over Far Eastern University in a game ordered replayed by the league board, then eventually nailed the No. 3 spot due to a superior quotient over their victim and La Salle.

“We’re a young team, but I like the maturity of our players,” coach Eric Altamirano said after his Bulldogs advanced to the semifinals for the first time in 11 years.

Also making it through the backdoor, the Archers hacked out a 69-66 escape over the favored Tamaraws in a knockout duel for the      No. 4 spot, where they rallied from 10 points down in the last six minutes.

“We need all the advantage we can get [against Ateneo], so if we have the momentum, we need that,” said La Salle coach Gee Abanilla. “If they get rusty after a long lay off, we need that too.”

Aside from coming off a two-week break, the Eagles also had a bit of a distraction early this week when Black offered to resign from the team following the “blanket pull out of support from Ateneo” by his employer and top sports patron Manuel V. Pangilinan.

But Pangilinan decided that Black should finish the season, noting that “the team shouldn’t suffer.”

“I’m quite happy he said that because I also don’t want to pull out of my last few games in Ateneo,” said Black, who’s set to return to the pros after the season.

“We have to be prepared mentally and physically,” said Ateneo ace Kiefer Ravena, one of the team anchors along with Greg Slaughter and Nico Salva.

But Abanilla hopes his key cogs led by Norbert Torres, Almond Vosotros and top rookie Jeron Teng follow up on their strong outings.

“Right now we’re happy with the way we’re performing, we’re peaking at the right time,” said Abanilla.

Both games will be aired live on Studio 23, with the highlights of the recent Cheerdance Competitions also replayed in between games.