Blue Eagles bag 2nd straight PCCL crown

After completing a three-peat in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament, the Ateneo Blue Eagles have achieved back-to-back championships in the Philippine Collegiate Champions League.

The Blue Eagles outlasted the Adamson Falcons, 73-67, in Game 3 of their finals showdown Monday afternoon at The Arena in San Juan. Kirk Long and Nico Salva delivered the crucial baskets to keep the stubborn Falcons at bay. With the Falcons breathing down their necks and trailing by only four, 64-68, less than two minutes left, Long came through with yet another sterling performance. The American swignman came off a down-screen play off a flex offense set and let loose a triple from the right corner, his fifth and final trey of the game. That basket served as the dagger, giving the Eagles enough cushion to notch the win. Long finished with a game-high 25 points sparked by an outstanding 5-of-6 from downtown. ‘’Kirk Long had a big game three games ago, then took a couple of games off," said Ateneo coach Norman Black. “But he returned with a big game today. In the end, those were very crucial three-pointers." ‘’His treys separated us from the rallying Adamson squad and allowed us to win the championship.’’ Salva also had a splendid game coming off the bench. He knocked in 24 points including a perfcect 8-of-8 from the line, apart from grabbing six rebounds, . Salva’s consistency made him the hands-down choice for the Most Valuable Player award. ‘’I guess Nico (Salva) was our most consistent player. He hasn’t been great, but he hasn’t been bad either. He’s been there every game, and today was one of his better games.’’ As expected, the game was tight for the first two-and-a-half quarters, with Ateneo leading by only two, 42-40, midway in the third period. But Long suddenly caught fire and joined hands with Salva in a blistering 13-4 spurt to give Ateneo a 55-44 advantage going to the final quarter. The Blue Eagles were still ahead by 11, 63-52, with five minutes left, but the Falcons unleashed a 12-3 run capped by Alex Nuyles’ two charities with 1:58 left, pushing the Falcons to within four, 64-68. That was when Long played the fireman’s role to frustrate the rallying Falcons. ‘’We just made good adjustments today in our game plan and it worked out for us, particularly in the second half. We’re just lucky to get away with the win today," said Black. ‘’It’s another great feeling. Some people maybe get tired of us winning, but we’re not. Hopefully, we can continue it next year. It’s been a great three-year run for this group," he added. On top of winning this edition of the PCCL, Ateneo earned the right to represent the country in the 18th Super Kung Sheung Cup slated December 14-19 in Hong Kong. ‘’I honestly don’t know much about it. I just heard of it last night. It’s going to be tough for us. This was a tough tournament for us and we expect the same thing there.’’ Black added that his team would go on a break after their Hong Kong joust. ‘’I think my players need a break. They need a vacation at least for one month, but at the same time, we want to make sure they stay in shape for next year.’’ Ateneo also won P500,000 worth of sports equipment for winning the tournament. Adamson coach Leo Austria couldn’t hide his disappointment, but took the defeat in a positive way. ‘’I’m taking this loss positively, but maybe in the future we can finally get it done.’’ Adamson got P200,000 for its runner-up finish. - KY, RCJ, GMANews.TV