Eyes on the prize. Rookie sensation Danica Jose looks to make a basket against the UE Amazons. Photo by Tim Arafiles.
Sporting a 4-3 record after the first round of games, the Lady Eagles have already matched the number of wins they had last season. More importantly, however, they remain in the thick of the competition with a fourth-place standing, and the possibility of bagging a final four spot—a feat they have not achieved since their championship season in 2007.
A comfortable 13-point win against the NU Lady Bulldogs during opening day proved to set a good tone for the entire season. Though, they got a taste of their own medicine, with a 13-point battering by the UST Tigresses, they got right back up with a win in the next game. Turnovers galore was the theme of the first installment of this year’s Battle of Katipunan, with the Lady Eagles dismissing UP by 11 markers, 41-30.
For the young team, inexperience and inconsistency began to creep in midway through the round. Their following games showcased a bevy of poor shot selection and careless ball handling—this time, the Lady Eagles would pay the price—losing to the FEU Lady Tamaraws and the Adamson Lady Falcons by 21 and 25 points respectively.
The lady Eagles however, would redeem themselves with key victories to cap off a very good first round performance. A big win over archrival La Salle, carried over the winning drive onto the next game as their last game against the UE Lady Warriors proved to be a confident and comfortable display, overpowering their opponents with stellar shooting and much improved ball handling.
Featuring six freshmen and two sophomores in the core unit, the young Ateneo squad had an erratic first round. Despite being plagued with injuries early on, they won their four games by a comfortable 13 average point margin. Despite this, a greater factor of concern was the higher deficit that they lost by: being blown out by an average of 20 points in their three losses.
Given the team’s youth, the concern widely raised by Lady Eagle Head Coach Chris Quimpo was their inexperience. “We have a young team,” he said, after their loss to FEU. “And that’s one thing we need to overcome, but now we just can’t.”
Nevertheless, the team’s new blood has proved to be invaluable thus far, as four rookies have put in some noteworthy performances.
Breaking press. Team Captain Sarah Mercado makes her way past the pressure D put up by FEU . Photo by Kat A Mallillin.
Leading the statistical race is former RP Youth Team member Danica Jose. The 6-foot tall stalwart provided big numbers for the Blue and White, particularly in their wins against UP, UE, DLSU and NU. A prized rookie from Miriam College, she showcased her capabilities with a 17-point performance against archrival La Salle. Mary Aseron also put in a team-leading 11-point game during their battering of the UE Lady Warriors.
Veterans Ish Tiu, Sam Ong, Valerie Chua, Jennifer Diamaano, Therese Estrada and Team Captain Sarah Mercado all put in key performances as well. With no one player hogging the spotlight, and the team playing well as a collective unit, good results are more or less guaranteed.
“We can’t afford to go down, because we’re aware that we’re on top. Everyone improves in the second round and we should as well. We should start strong,” said Quimpo, after their final game of the first round.
The Lady Eagles have since started their second round, as they faced a stiff challenge from the FEU Lady Tamaraws. With Quimpo sticking with the team during the first quarter, tempers flared as the head coach was ejected after getting tagged with two early technical fouls. Ateneo eventually lost the bout, 67-49.
While the loss was certainly a blow to their final four aspirations, the Lady Eagles have been known to surprise, and hopefully, they continue to do so in the second round.
