Fueled by a name that's synonymous with La Salle championship basketball, the Green Archers get set for the UAAP Season 88 Finals against the UP Fighting Maroons.
La Salle is among the most successful UAAP basketball program in the Final Four era, and the Green Archers have been building strong teams long enough to have the son of one team legend lead to school to another Finals appearance.
Deja vu might be in full effect, as La Salle ousted NU in the Final Four on the strength of a clutch guard that goes by the surname of Cortez.
[RELATED: Jacob Cortez writes his own La Salle moment in Final Four of UAAP Season 88]
But the bigger picture for the Green Archers in UAAP Season 88 is that of redemption, as La Salle is set to take on UP for the third straight Finals.
To get grasp the full context of La Salle’s motivations, here’s how the Green Archers fared in the championship round leading up to this year’s finale.
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UAAP Season 86: def. UP, 2-1
After missing the Final Four in Season 85, the Green Archers had the ultimate comeback by winning the title in Season 86.
However, before La Salle even got to the Finals against UP, the Green Archers endured a slow 3-3 start before eventually racking up nine straight wins to get to the title round.
La Salle then had to overcome a historic beating in Game 1, taking the championship with a close Game 3 as Kevin Quiambao ascended to superstar status, turning his Rookie of the Year plum into Most Valuable Player.
UAAP Season 87: lost to UP, 2-1
With Quiambao putting his name among the UAAP greats with back-to-back MVP awards, La Salle also set its sights on back-to-back titles in Season 87.
The Green Archers were in prime position, taking the no. 1 seed and sweeping UP in the elimination round.
However, the Finals were a different story as La Salle had to scrap its way to even forcing Game 3, where the Green Archers then lost a heartbreaker despite the double-double effort of Mike Phillips.
UAAP Season 88: Finals vs. UP
With Quiambao now off the pros, La Salle welcomed key pieces for Season 88 in Mason Amos, Kean Baclaan, and Jacob Cortez, son of school legend Mike.
But similar to their Season 86 campaign, the Green Archers struggled in the early goings of Season 88 and barely made the Final Four as the no. 4 seed.
To make matters even more difficult, La Salle lost Amos and Baclaan for most of the elimination round due to injury, before the pair returned in time for the semifinals.
In the Final Four, Cortez willed the Green Archers to two big wins over NU, becoming only the third team in the Final Four era to oust a no. 1 seed.
[RELATED: Kean Baclaan admits bittersweet feeling in UAAP Finals-clinching free throws vs former team NU]
Cortez’s heroics mirrored that of his father Mike, as the elder Cortez and his batch of Green Archers bounced the Bulldogs on the way to the UAAP title.
Jacob and his Season 88 Green Archers will get the chance to follow suit when the UAAP Finals against UP opens Wednesday, Dec. 10.