The Far Eastern U Tamaraws clinched the first twice-to-beat incentive after winning their two games this week. FEU shook off a resilient NU squad, 72-57, last Thursday. They furthermore strengthened their hold on the number one spot in the team rankings by sinking the still winless UP Fighting Maroons, 70-48, yesterday.

Bouncing off from a big loss last week, the Tams relied on fourth quarter man and leading MVP candidate RR Garcia to close down the final four doors on the NU Bulldogs. The Morayta-based squad started hot and led by as much as 14 points early in the game. The Bulldogs tried to come back in the third quarter but was still short as the Tamaraws tightened their defense and shot better.

FEU completed their mission this week after they remained superior over the UP Fighting Maroons. Their excellent shooting percentage was the key to the squad’s win. The Tams’ scoring was very balanced. Starters Garcia, Jens Knuttel, Aldrech Ramos, Reil Cervantes, and Chris Excimiano all combined for 34 points, while players off the bench produced 35.

Time to focus

This will be short.

So, we’re already in the Final Four with a twice-to-beat advantage. That is a good feat but not impressive enough yet. We’ve also made it to the Final Four last year with the same advantage but we failed to deliver during the most crucial time.

We have a balanced Final Four cast this season. You have offensive-oriented squads in FEU and ADMU, while DLSU and AdU are strong defensive teams. All four schools still have a game each before the semi-finals officially start. A lot of things can still happen.

The Falcons will be up against the Archers this coming Thursday. Both teams are at an 8-5 win-loss record. The winner of the said game will go up to the third spot and will be facing the second seed team.

Now about that…

We will be playing Ateneo come this Saturday. Ateneo is currently at second with 10-3. FEU improved its record to 11-3 after finishing off UP yesterday. The Eagles still have a chance to depose us from the top spot; that is if they win over the Tamaraws by at least four points. We certainly would want to remain where we are right now and face the number four team.

The Tamaraws still need to work on a number of things. Defense is one. Limiting our turnovers is another. We were able to do that in our last two outings. I think we are highly capable of doing those again.

I would love to suggest plays but I think I’ll save that for the semis. Besides, I am no coach.

Personally, I don’t want any upset to be pulled over our squad. These times are crucial. We have no time to be complacent; no time to relax. Every team in the Final Four are very much competitive.

We have the talent. I know we also have the heart to win. All we need to do is play up to our full potential.

Going a little sideways from the topic, is it possible to have referees to officiate referees? You know to kind of just check if they are giving out the right calls on the right team/individual. That’s just me wondering. I hope that the games will be played honestly.

 

September 6th, 2010 by reichmakayan Rachell Makayan is a 2008 graduate of the FEU-IN. A former sports writer of The Advocate. The product of an Ilocana mother and a Bicolano father (but trust me she doesn't know how to speak both provinces' dialect). The only FEU alumnus in her family, she constantly finds herself fighting over her mom, dad and sister every time the Tams plays the Warriors (Of course, she wins most of the time).