The UP Fighting Maroons not letting up even as they sealed a semis spot in UAAP Season 87.
The UP Fighting Maroons are keeping their eyes straight ahead on the next game, even as they just clinched a Final Four spot following their 70-59 win over the Adamson Soaring Falcons in the second round of UAAP Season 87 on Sunday, October 27.
Manufacturing a come-from-behind victory coming off of a lengthy layoff, the Fighting Maroons are focused more than ever.
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UP fends off gutsy Adamson to seal Final Four spot in UAAP Season 87]
“This is something na iyong mini goals ng team, just like coach Gold [Monteverde] or I have mentioned before, it's always about the next possession, the next game for us,” said UP assistant coach Chris Luanzon.
“And building from those possessions, from those quarters, from those games at this point, tulad nga ng nabanggit niyo, this was a clinching semifinal game. So, you know, it's something that we're gonna celebrate tonight, so to speak, but at the same time the goal is: the big picture,” he added.
Of course, it’s not a secret that the Fighting Maroons are eyeing the title after back-to-back runner-up finishes in the past two seasons.
But en route to their bigger goal of the championship, UP will be having to work on the kinks of the game time and time again.
“[Bigger picture] yong papasok ng Finals, giving ourselves an opportunity for that. For coach Gold, this is something that he's been doing since he started coaching,” said Luanzon.
“For him, it's more than just the results. It's all about the improvement ng team and even after this win, still to improve," he added.
Among the biggest things to improve on for the Fighting Maroons are the slow starts, which have been evident practically all season long.
Even against Adamson on Sunday, UP was caught on the back foot early again, as the Maroons only took the lead late in the second quarter.
The starting lineup also had trouble in getting things going as they needed the second unit led by Gani Stevens and Terrence Fortea to start the engine for the Fighting Maroons.
With a lot of challenges still ahead if UP wants to get the championship back for the first time since Season 84, there’s still a lot of work to be done. UP veteran guard JD Cagulangan acknowledged the need to continue pushing.
“Siguro individually kailangan namin yung composure lalo na dun sa mga ganung game [na dikitan]. Yung sa team naman, yung laging slow start. Kailangan namin i-improve. Good thing naman sa team, nag-respond naman sa lahat ng maayos after ng slow start,” said Cagulangan.
There won’t be any rest for the weary for the Fighting Maroons after a two-week break as they now have two games in the next seven days, first facing off against the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the Battle of Katipunan on Wednesday, October 30.
They will also play against the NU Bulldogs next weekend on Sunday, November 3.