legendplay Junior Warriors claim UE’s first UAAP cage crown in 39 years

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The Junior Warriors celebrate with the UAAP trophy moments after tearing the Tiger Cubs to shreds in Game 3 of the finals. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

After a wait spanning nearly four decades, University of the East (UE) can call itself a champion school once again.

The Junior Warriors on Friday picked apart University of Santo Tomas (UST) with methodical precision, hacking out a 78-47 Game 3 victory to clinch the UAAP junior boys’ basketball championship at Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

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“Finally, after how many years,” head coach Andrew Estrella said. “[This is] important for the school and the program.

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“The boys wanted it. They delivered. They didn’t stray from our game plan,” he said of the rout that capped what has been a spectacular season for the Recto-based squad.

Brian Orca and Ethan Oraa joined hands for a 19-point run, greasing a second-period pullaway that pretty much set the tone in the winner-take-all match.

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Eventual Finals MVP Gab delos Reyes was just as big on defense, helping starve the Tiger Cubs the rest of the way and helping his squad build leads of as big as 33 points.

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Oraa finished with 13 points while Enrico Bungar chipped in 11. Jared Ferreros added nine, while Jolo Pascual and Orca tossed in eight each.

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Dustin Bathan led UST with 16 points on 6-of-19 shooting, while fellow Mythical Team member Jhon Canapi managed just 11 points on 1-of-24 shooting.

“As I’ve said before: This is enough for us to become a destination school for players,” Estrella said.

Article continues after this advertisement Only two losses

The Junior Warriors were dominant all season long, absorbing only two losses: an 81-66 defeat to the FEU-Diliman Baby Tamaraws during the eliminations and a 98-84 setback in Game 1 of the Finals against UST.

UE last celebrated a basketball championship during Season 48 in 1985, when its men’s basketball team, led by legends Allan Caidic and Jerry Codiñera, captured the crown.

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“Three months of sacrifices. We went through adversities but we rose above it,” said Estrella who, in the din of the celebrations, was joined by Derrick Pumarenlegendplay, the architect behind UE’s first-ever boys’ basketball title in 1972.

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