UP may have lost these Finals, but the FIghting Maroons showed a lot of fight. And in doing so, they proved there is still a way up come next season.
The UP Fighting Maroons were already a man down with Zavier Lucero sidelined. Then, their best player, Carl Tamayo, submitted a pedestrian 11-point, 9-rebound outing — a far cry from The Carl Tamayo game UP needed to overcome these talented, well-coached Ateneo Blue Eagles.
Any which way you cut it, the Fighting Maroons did not stand a chance, not without the do-it-all Lucero and with Tamayo going out meekly when he should have been playing the game of his life.
Yet there was UP, a break or two away from pulling off the stunner of stunners, trimming a 20-point Ateneo lead to just 3 — and with a fighter’s chance to actually steal the championship away.
And putting the fight back in the Fighting Maroons when all seemed lost were JD Cagulangan, James Spencer, and Harold Alarcon. All three, incidentally, were hugely instrumental in helping UP win Season 84 just months ago, with Alarcon providing clutch playmaking, Spencer sending Game 3 to overtime, and Cagulangan hitting arguably the most memorable game-winner in UAAP history.
There would be no memorable ending in Season 85, only heartaches and what-ifs.
But those three, along with one-and-done big Henry Galinato, made a game out of a lost game, taking turns in fueling the Fighting Maroons’ furious fightback. Cagulangan lit the fire with a couple of daredevil drives midway through the third quarter. Spencer scored 11 of his 14 points after intermission. And Alarcon authored a most improbable four-point play with under 30 seconds left to pull UP ever so close.
But, again, there would be no memorable ending this time.
Yet, even in defeat, Cagulangan, Spencer, and Alarcon proved there is plenty to look forward to come Season 86. And that trio is as good a place to start: a fearless playmaker (Cagulangan), a prototypical 3-and-D wing (Spencer), and an audacious scorer (Alarcon).
Add in potential holdovers in Malick Diouf, Gerry Abadiano, Terrence Fortea, and the aforementioned Tamayo, along with blue-chip recruit Chicco Briones, and the Fighting Maroons have the makings of another contender — possibly the only team that can deny Ateneo back-to-back titles.
Indeed, there is still a ways up for UP, but only if it can keep Cagulangan and company intact.