Once again, we present to you our annual Top 10 posts of the year These posts got the most attention this 2012.
Here they are in no particular order.
We started the year with the Green Archers landing the biggest and most sought-after high school player in this year’s recruiting class. And boy what a gem of a player he turned out to be. The runaway winner of the UAAP rookie-of-the-year award and a member of the Mythical Team, Jeron Teng created a major impact in the team’s turnaround season.
Just like the previous season, the De La Salle Lady Spikers breezed their way past the elimination round and earned an outright entry to the Finals. Standing in their way for a second-straight title are the Ateneo Lady Eagles who surprisingly scored an upset in Game 1. That loss only made the team more determined and hungry for victory as they went on to win the next two games to capture the championship.
The Green Archers’ dominance over the Blue Eagles in non-UAAP tournaments continue as Jeron Teng’s came up big down the stretch to lead La Salle to an overtime win. Now if we can only replicate this success in the UAAP.
Go Archers is also proud to have been the first to coin the term “InTENGsity”.
7. Good Summer
It was an interesting preseason for the Green Archers. Despite having to deal with player injuries and some on-court melees, they still managed to pull off impressive victories against the likes of UST, San Sebastian, Ateneo and San Beda. They advanced to the finals for the first time since 2007 but eventually lost to NU.
Go Archers had the opportunity to cover some of the games on video for the benefit of those who were unable to catch the action live but are eager to get a glimpse of the new players and coaches.
It was an epic showdown between two middle-of-the-pack teams hoping to close the first round on a winning note. It also turned out to be a scoring duel between the eventual MVP and the eventual Rookie-of-the-Year. Both Jeron Teng and Bobby Ray Parks scored 35 points but it was the Green Archers who came up on top after two grueling overtime periods.
This was also the breakout game for Almond Vosotros. Used sparingly during the start of the season, he rediscovered his shooting prowess and went on to become a steady contributor on offense the rest of the way.
5. The Shot
Here’s another highlight of Jeron Teng’s amazing rookie season. With the game tied and with 3.3 seconds to go, Jeron received the inbound pass from center court, drove towards the basket and launched a jumper from the top of the key. Swish! La Salle’s winning streak extends to 4.
With their Final 4 hopes on the line and their top scorer struggling offensively, the Green Archers turned to Almond Vosotros, who scored 21 points to help lead them past the Tamaraws. This game was the first of their three consecutive “must-wins” for them to secure at least a playoff for a semis berth.
The Green Archers’ final elimination round game could have possibly been their last for the season had they lost. They went up against an ousted Adamson team than was hoping to play the spoiler role in their semis bid. La Salle has had a history of losing to also-ran teams in crucial matches. They made sure it won’t happen in this game.
2. Final4Ward
It’s the playoff for the last Final 4 berth. For the past couple of years, FEU has been the Green Archers’ “executioner” either by knocking them out of contention or by ending their already lost season on a sour note. With the Tamaraws dictating the tempo for the first three quarters and sitting on a 10 point-lead with 6 minutes left, it seemed the trend would continue.
But the Archers simply refused to lose as they scored 17 unanswered points to pull off an amazing come from behind win. Norbert Torres finally broke out of his scoring slump as he led La Salle’s comeback trail and finished the game with 21 markers.
Go Archers is proud to have started the hashtag #Final4WardDLSU which became the online battlecry during the Archers’ crucial run towards the Final 4. The term became popular that it even trended especially during the knock-out-game against FEU.
The Blue Eagles have been kicking La Salle’s butts in the UAAP for the past 5 seasons so they were expected to win this Final 4 contest convincingly. They were also well-rested while the Green Archers had to go through a grueling playoff match a couple of days earlier just to make it to the semis.
But unlike the La Salle-Ateneo matches that we have become accustomed to watch in recent years, the Green Archers kept the game close all throughout and even erected a double-digit lead in the early stages of the final quarter. Had the Archers won, they would have had the momentum in Game 2 while the Blue Eagles will be in an unfamiliar situation. Since 2005, Ateneo is 1-3 in “You lose, you’re out.” matches.
Sadly, the thought of an upset was just too good to be true. It was still a valiant effort by the Green Archers. With its core still intact and with the program headed in the right direction, we might just have our own 5-peat run soon. Our time is coming.
Happy New Year!