Under the weather, Harold Alarcon gutted out a inspiring performance for the UP Fighting Maroons that certainly didn’t go unnoticed by his coaches and teammates.
The box score wouldn't necessarily show his impact, but Harold Alarcon had his imprint throughout the game for the defending champion Fighting Maroons on Saturday.
Battling through an illness, Alarcon pulled through for UP in the Fighting Maroons' tough 66-59 triumph over the NU Bulldogs in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament.
Although he scored just eight points, Alarcon's intangibles stood out as the champs are now on the board for back-to-back victories.
“I want to commend Harold [Alarcon], because [though] he only had eight points but he did play 20 minutes and it felt like every time he had the ball — whether it was making a shot or creating plays – he was just [playing] big time,” assistant coach Christian Luanzon said on Alarcon’s performance.
[ALSO READ: Champion UP clamps down on defense to deal NU its first loss in UAAP Season 88]
Battling Through Adversity
UP players and coaching staff have been apparently under the weather, which affected their start to the season.
However, against NU, the Fighting Maroons gutted things out on the defensive end, with Alarcon being a key contributor with four rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
“For him to fight through what he was feeling, it was big for us,” Luanzon said.
UP's Harold Alarcon defends NU's Steve Nash Enriquez | Photo: The UAAP
Alarcon's gutsy performance sparked his teammates, with Francis Nnoruka scoring 14 points and Gani Stevens adding eight of his 10 markers in the second half as UP completed its uprising for the win.
“He’s super important [to our team]. Harold is one of the veteran guys in our team. He didn’t practice this week but he was just there today,” Stevens said of his UP senior.
He added: “To have a guy out there and put his body on the line got me and my teammates fired up.”
After conceding 40 points in the first half, UP clamped down defensively, holding NU to just 19 points in the final two quarters and shutting them out for over five minutes in the fourth quarter.
“I just thought we had a better job of our communication in the second half and eventually in the whole second half," Luanzon ended.
UP aims for a third straight win as the Fighting Maroons go head-to-head against the Ateneo Blue Eagles in their next outing.
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.