Still can’t get over our loss to Ateneo a week ago? It’s time to move on! There are still eight games to be played in the elimination round and after the results of last Wednesday’s matches, the Green Archers have a good chance to put themselves just a game behind the top teams as round one comes to a close.
The team shall go up against Adamson tomorrow in what promises to be another epic showdown. The Soaring Falcons are surprisingly leading the pack with a 5-1 record. Their winning streak, however, was snapped by FEU last Sunday. Nevertheless, this team has shown remarkable improvement and they surely have their sights on winning this season’s championship.
Both teams were supposed to face off last September 15 but it was rescheduled due to bad weather conditions. We can probably say that this is a blessing of sorts for La Salle as it gave them an opportunity to scout them further. Had they played much early in the season, the results would have probably not be in our favor as the Green Archers were coming off a loss to FEU with Taane going down with a foot injury while the Soaring Falcons would have had the momentum on their side after beating the defending champions on opening weekend.
They should now have a better idea what Adamson players can do. Jeric Ahanmisi and Sean Maganti will still be their main options on offense while the rest, especially their new recruits will continue to play blue-collar basketball. Honestly, our team can match-up well against them especially in the backcourt. We have the edge in the frontline with Papi Sarr being their only threat inside. Expect the Falcons to get their points primarily from the perimeter and off turnovers so La Salle can’t afford to commit the same mistakes on offense like they had in their previous game. We are expecting the Green Archers to recover from their bad offensive outing especially Balti and Santi who combined for just 11 points last game.
The two squads are coming off disappointing losses so we can expect them to go all out tomorrow as they look to bounce back and finish the first round strong. La Salle would want to remain within striking distance with the leaders and also avoid a possible tie with UP and UST for the last spot in the top four.
Three of the wins so far by the Green Archers were from teams with losing records. This upcoming game is a must-win for them, not just for standings but also from a confidence standpoint especially after blowout loss to the Blue Eagles.
For Adamson, they have not yet beaten La Salle for two seasons already, which includes losing to the Green Archers in consecutive final four series. And with how last season’s semis series went down? And two of their former players moved to our camp this offseason? Damn! the Soaring Falcons will surely be pumped up for some payback here so La Salle needs to be ready.
This game will most likely go down the wire.