The Green Archers looked in danger of falling to 3-4. Cortez did something about it.
The La Salle Green Archers were reeling—losers of back-to-back games and down by 11 at the half to the UE Red Warriors on Saturday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
At that point, big man Raven Cortez decided he had enough.
“Masaya ko, but if you guys watched the game, we were down at halftime by 11 points. Nung halftime break na ‘yun, it lit up something in me na I have to work harder,” Cortez said in the postgame interview immediately after the match. “I have to do what I have to do para ma-help ‘yung team na manalo.”
He did what he had to do all right.
Cortez finished with 18 points, five rebounds, and three blocks, most of which came in the second half as La Salle unleashed a torrid rally to catch up with UE in the third canto—and ultimately zoom ahead in the payoff period.
With Cortez playing his best game of the season, the Green Archers fended off the Red Warriors, 83-75, to avoid losing three straight and falling to a losing record at the end of the first round of action.
And, come the second round, Cortez is hoping La Salle takes to heart the lessons it has learned in its adversity-filled start to the tournament.
That lesson?
“Never take any team for granted. Kahit anong team ‘yan you always have to go hard, give your best para matulungan ‘yung team,” said Cortez.
The lanky big man gave his best against UE. Rest assured he will give that same effort moving forward.