Pace is the name of the game

Creating a winning edge in sports is anchored largely on setting the pace. And in no other place perhaps is this more true than in school sports where the athletes bristle with enthusiasm, strut with the swagger of youth and err with almost reckless abandon.

This is what gives most collegiate or high school sports followers their adrenaline rush and makes them ignore the more calculating if not careful ways of the pros. There is of course the intervening variable of school loyalty which makes it even more worthwhile for them to support their alma mater.

Teams that dictate the pace have better chances of winning. This was evident last Saturday in the UAAP junior basketball wars at the Blue Eagle Gym. De La Salle-Zobel was in full command against an undersized UE squad and won handily, 92-59. The youthful Archers, very well coached by Boris Aldeguer, used a choking full-court press to pull off nine steals and score 31 fastbreak points.

DLSZ controlled the match throughout by being unforgiving defensively. It shattered the confidence of the Juinor Warriors who couldn’t hit the easiest of layups and made only 19 of 77 attempts.

Later on in the senior games, Adamson was more aggressive with gutsy incursions into the shaded area and carved out a 78-59 triumph over the favored FEU Tamaraws. Point guard Derrick Cañada spearheaded the onslaught by driving hard before kicking it out to his teammates like Alex Nuyles or by firing a few jumpers himself. The pace could not be altered by the Tamaraws whose usually hot shooters failed to sustain any offensive streak.

In the La Salle-Ateneo duel, the Blue Eagles unleashed the all-around game of rookie Kiefer Ravena to dictate the tempo. The first six points belonged to Ravena before he joined Frank Golla and Greg Slaughter in a 7-0 blitz that gave Ateneo a 23-16 lead at the end of the first canto. In the second quarter, Ravena found an ally in Nico Salva in an 8-0 run that created an 11-point Ateneo edge at the half.

The pace set by the Blue Eagles was sufficient to cushion them in the heat of La Salle’s torrid comeback in the fourth quarter. Emman Monfort was a coach’s delight as he calmly sank six straight endgame free throws to preserve Ateneo’s 81-72 win.

Despite the Ravena show, La Salle revealed in this game the vast potential of its guard lineup for this tournament and the years ahead. The returning LA Revilla, who connived with Jaerlan Tampus in a 10-4 run in the fourth that brought the Archers within seven points, will be a longtime anchor of the frenetic press and fastbreak game that La Salle favors. The game could have been different pace-wise had the Archers hit a few more outside shots and contained Ravena in the second quarter where he added eight more for a total of 22 first-half points.

Expect more of the same in college and high school games ahead. However, controlling the pace of the game is dependent on conditioning and players’ belief in their coach’s system. Look out for the players who will huff and puff and defy their team’s game plan with selfish individual plays. They will fall prey to teams that want to win by setting the pace they want.