Wining The War

Is there any college basketball game that can draw a bigger crowd than an Ateneo-LaSalle match up?   Probably not.  A Fil Oil Flying V Pre Season semis knockout match between the Eagles & the Archers failed to materialize after DLS was eliminated by FEU just 2 days after the Archers upset the UAAP Defending Champion Eagles.  I heard that had this match between the 2 rivals been forged, the scheduled Friday
[June 10] semifinals games would have been moved from the San Juan Arena to the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

The semis saw the Eagles knocking out the Tamaraws & the Lions knocking out the Falcons.  At least, one could say that the next best thing to an ADM-DLS semis game would be an ADM-SBC Winner-Take-All Championship Game.  So the Fil Oil ended the way it started, with an Ateneo-San Beda Clash.

But unlike the April 9 opening day battle where Ateneo beat San Beda by a slim margin, Independence Day saw  the Eagles tear the Lions apart with a 19 pt. W.  The Ateneans had lost 2 battles en route to the final game [against the Archers and against the Stags] but they Won the War.

Congratulations to the Men In Blue once more - to Coach Black & his Eagles and also to Coach Carlisle & his Mavs !