HEART OVER HURT
Down goes another Archer.
Just three days after Mason Amos’ unfortunate MCL injury in the Green Archers’ loss to National University, La Salle has been forced to deal with another key manpower issue, with Kean Baclaan going down with a knee injury in the fourth quarter of a tight duel against the University of the East Warriors on Wednesday.
The Archers won that showdown in overtime, 111-110, and Mike Philips believes something greater was at work for his team.
“I just think this is where faith comes in,” said Phillips, who was still distraught after the victory over his fallen teammate.
Baclaan, who has been one of the key cogs of the Season 87 runner-up since the season started, was stretchered out of the game in the fourth quarter after the Warriors’ Wello Lingolingo landed on his knee during a battle for the loose ball.
Phillips lost the ball in a transition play, and Baclaan made a dive to keep possession with 4:20 remaining in the game, and UE still with the lead. Lingolingo, however, tried to make a play for the ball and landed haphazardly on the right knee of Baclaan, who pushed the Red Warrior away and grimaced in pain.
“I just remember Kean screaming like that when we were behind him and everyone just gathered together and said we have to win it for him,” Phillips added after turning in a tireless 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Prior to the unfortunate injury, Baclaan was balling with 17 points to his name.
Rookie Jacob Cortez was left to pick up the pace for the Archers, who forced overtime before matching the season’s highest output en route to the victory.
“I’m really proud of the guys, especially Jacob, who found maturity in this game. Jacob’s one of the guys who calmed me down after Kean went down, and so did coach Topex (Robinson),” said Phillips.
Cortez finished with 26 points in the win, including the Archers’ last five points that overturned a one-point deficit in overtime.
The former San Beda standout simply used the vision of Baclaan being stretchered out as motivation to push the Green Archers to a 3-3 record.
“The way he was screaming, I never heard him like tha,t and when I was watching him get stretchered off the court … at first it was sad but [it became] a motivation for us,” the former San Beda standout said.
The Red Warriors lost their sixth straight game after once again coming close to a win, only to watch it slip away. The loss wasted a season-high 42-point effort from Precious Momowei.
The Archers, who hiked their record to an even 3-3, will now try to work around losing Amos and possibly being without Baclaan the rest of the way.
