UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas upended National University Nazareth School in overtime, 83-77, to end a 24-year championship wait in the UAAP high school boys’ basketball tournament yesterday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.

The Tiger Cubs won the best-of-three series, 2-1, for their 12th title overall and the first since the Jun Cortez-led squad last ruled the league in 2001.

“Ang goal ko talaga as a coach is maraming bata ang matulungan to make it to the next level. Ipaglalapit ko lahat ng history na yan sa mga bata na natulungan namin, ‘yon ang importante,” UST coach Manu Iñigo.

Senegalese Racine Kane fueled the Tiger Cubs’ victory with 28 points, 17 rebounds, two blocks and two steals to capture the Finals MVP honors.

Kane finished off his first UAAP season in style, averaging 19.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, two blocks, two steals, and 1.6 assists in the series.

“After the Game 2, coach Manu talked to me, saying that we need to finish it come Game 3. This is our last year, that’s why we really did everything today, both for UST and coach Manu,” Kane said.

Captain Koji Buenaflor struggled offensively with 12 points on 5-of-16 shooting but contributed 15 rebounds and six assists for the Tiger Cubs.

It was a sorry setback for the Bullpups, whose bid to regain the title for the first time since 2020 remains elusive.

The series was decided by an average winning margin of 5.6 points per contest as NUNS drew first blood, 77-70, before UST forced a winner-take-all affair with a 89-85 Game 2 win.

Charles Esteban added 11 points, four rebounds, one assist, and one steal, while Waki Ludovice and Carl Manding chipped in 10 points each. Kirk Cañete, on the other hand, flirted with a triple-double with eight points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Migs Palanca logged 21 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks, while Mac Alfanta struggled with 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting but tallied 11 rebounds and two assists for the Bullpups.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Theodore P. Jurado