After 13 years of finals no-show, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Lady Radicals finally ended their decade-long dry curse after finishing as runner-up in the 29th season of the National Capital Region Athletic Association (NCRAA) Women’s Basketball Division.
The Lady Radicals bowed down to the eventual champions, the Centro Escolar University (CEU) Lady Scorpions, 85-73, at the PUP Gymnasium on May 26.
“Kahit ano man marating natin, nasa third ka man, fourth ka man, it’s still a success. Siyempre, sino ba naman ang ayaw na nag-cha-champion? Kaya lang, every time we fall short, ‘pag ‘di namin na-reach ‘yon, isa 'yan sa ginagawa namin as motivation namin to reach 'yung ultimate goal na pupuntahan namin lagi, every tournament or anumang liga na sasalihan namin,” said PUP Head Coach and former PBA player Arnold “Buboy” Rodriguez.
The Lady Radicals fell to an 8-0 hole to begin the game but crawled back from trailing as much as eleven in the first period as they opened a 9-3 run in the second quarter, 25-26.
But CEU’s dominating interior presence dictated PUP’s offense as they settled for threes and lost momentum, extending the margin back to nine, 31-40.
Andrea Cayco led the charge with her five-point run, aided by Johanns Blaza and the rest of the Radicals as they caught up with the Lady Scorpions, cutting the deficit down to three.
However, the Lady Scorpions maintained its distance in the second half as its suffocating defense made PUP miss some open looks, including a 24-shot clock violation to end the third quarter.
CEU scored 28 of its 42 second-half points in the paint as the Lady Scorpions outscored the Lady Radicals 54-22 in points in the paint and shot 61.4% in the shaded area.
“Ang lalaki talaga nilang mga bigs ng kalaban namin. So, pinakita na lang namin kung ano ang kaya namin. Talagang binuhos na namin lahat. Kahit na home court namin, sobrang aggressive rin kasi ng kalaban. Advantage pa nila, nagkaroon sila ng panalo, so, syempre mas gutom silang manalo ulit,” Lovely Panti remarked.
Panti was hailed the point guard of this season’s mythical team after proving her mettle throughout the tournament, leading the team with 14 points, four assists, and four steals.
Cayco and team captain Jobhie Jao also finished in double figures, bucketing 13 and 12, respectively.
Under the leadership of Coach Rodriguez, the Lady Radicals are itching for a comeback at the upcoming State Colleges and Universities Athletic Association (SCUAA) games and NCRAA next season, citing preparatory activities that include team building, and game-recordings analysis.
Article: Marc Nathaniel Servo and Lourence Angelo Marcellana
Graphics: Jacques Jacobsen Aquino
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