Monty Montebon brings out unselfish play as Adamson snatches last playoff spot from UE

Adamson stalwart Monty Montebon threw ego aside as he played unselfish basketball to help the Soaring Falcons clinch the last Final Four spot in UAAP Season 87, facilitating the offense in a big win over UE on Wednesday.

 

Though used to being more of a scorer for the San Marcelino squad, Montebon was able to contribute more on assists as they were able to dissect the Red Warriors’ defense en route to a convincing victory to earn the right to face the DLSU Green Archers in the semifinals.

 

[RELATED: Adamson catches last bus to Final Four as UE free falls out of semis]

 

Montebon was scoring sparingly in the win, especially in the first three quarters, but the second-year guard propelled their offense with his playmaking – finishing with six assists. At the final buzzer, he was a hefty +13 in efficiency.

 

After the game, Montebon said that he was happy to find success in a more “unselfish” type of play.

 

“I just wanna say I’m really proud of my team. The whole season we’ve been through a lot. A lot of ups and a lot of downs. A lot of team meetings where we didn’t wanna go to. But I’m just proud of my team, just the way the last couple of games we just fought and just played for each other,” Montebon remarked. 

 

“Personally, for me, the team needed me to play a little more unselfish so, I just want to do everything in my power to put our team in a better chance to win and I think I did that and now we’re in the Final Four and hopefully we could beat La Salle,” he added.

 

Now battle tested after going through multiple do-or-die games in the elimination round and against the Red Warriors, Montebon said that they will need to prepare even more if they want to challenge a team like La Salle.

 

Following their cautious gameplan against UE, they will now have to hurdle a bigger challenge in the defending champions.

 

But if Montebon’s response to their do-or-die game against the Red Warriors is anything to base off, there will surely be a lot to look forward to for the first-time UAAP semifinalist.

 

“For me, it’s my first time so I don’t know really what to expect. But I’m just excited for the challenge. La Salle’s a great team,” said Montebon, who also noted that Adamson lost by an average of 27.5 points against La Salle in their two elimination round games.

 

“So obviously, we’re gonna have to, like I said in my answer earlier, focus [on] practice and just trust each other like we’ve been doing and hopefully the results and the game will follow,” he added.

 

Apart from Montebon, it was also a big game for Cedrick Manzano who ended up with a double-double and a Player of the Game citation with 17 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks.

 

Now going up against reigning MVP Kevin Quiambao and a rejuvenated Green Archers, Adamson will need similar performances from Montebon, Manzano, and then some if they want to erase the defending champions’ twice-to-beat advantage.

 

Adamson faces La Salle on November 30, Saturday, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum at 6:30 p.m.