Jesus Dela Cuadra and Junlor De Guzman came up clutch in the final minutes as the University of the Cordilleras Jaguars survived a late rally by the Baguio College of Technology Atoms, 81-76, in Season 37 of the Baguio-Benguet Educational Athletic League at the UC Gymnasium on Tuesday.
UC head coach Mak Zapanta admitted his players were overwhelmed by the home crowd early on but praised their second-half adjustments to secure the hard-fought victory.
“They were too hyped by the drums. Of course, the excitement and the crowd were there, so they were overly aggressive. We just let them play, but they were beaten by their own aggressiveness early on. But our opponents are strong, so we couldn’t relax,” Zapanta said in Filipino.
The Jaguars held a 59-53 lead entering the fourth quarter, but the Atoms slowly chipped away at the deficit despite losing sharpshooter Josh Domingo, who fouled out with 5:22 left in the game.
BCT capitalized on UC’s penalty situation, with Ellis Canlas hitting a free throw to cut the Jaguars’ lead to 71-70 with 4:06 remaining.
Dela Cuadra responded with a crucial 3-pointer at the 3:49 mark to stretch UC lead to 74-70.
BCT’s fruto Luzadas quickly answered with his own shot from beyond the arc to make it a one-point game again, but it was the closest the Atoms would get for the remainder of the contest.
With the final minute of the ball game going into a tense free-throw battle, Dela Cuadra made two of his four attempts from the charity stripe in the final 25 seconds, giving UC a 79-76 edge.
The Atoms had the opportunity to close the gap, but Jeff Bringas missed both of his free throws with 7.1 seconds left on the clock.
After UC’s Donni Cadiogan missed two free throws on the ensuing possession, De Guzman grabbed a critical offensive rebound and scored at the buzzer to finalize the score.
Dela Cuadra led the Jaguars with 20 points, while De Guzman added 18 and Keith Chester Tomas contributed 13.
Luzadas paced the Atoms with a team-high 19 points. Domingo scored 15 points, all coming from 3-point range, before his late exit, and Eldemar Santiago chipped in 13 points for BCT.
Both teams struggled from the free-throw line down the stretch, a recurring issue that Zapanta noted is a long-standing inside joke for his squad.
The Jaguars also struggled with defensive box outs throughout the evening, forcing them to rely heavily on constant communication to hold off the Atoms.
“In the past, when we played in outside leagues, people would say, ‘They are from UC, they don’t know how to shoot free throws,'” Zapanta added. “That is why we always tell them to just relax under pressure. Luckily, some went in, and it just so happened that BCT’s free throws were also not falling.” Roderick Osis
