The SEA Tigers and CS Chameloens struggle for a place in the championships. Photo by Charlotte Billy Sabanal

“All out performance. All heart. All for God. ”

This was how School of Engineering and Architecture (SEA) Tigers player Melvin Solon described their victory against the Computer Studies (CS) Chameleons during the Men’s Basketball Semi-finals game held at 4th floor Martin Hall, last Aug. 8.

The game started with CS Chameleons getting the first ball and initially landing a flawless three-point shot, firing up with 3-0 on the score board. However, this fueled the SEA Tigers to be more aggressive, attacking the Chameleons’ good defense. Excellent ball handling and team coordination brought the Tigers to a 6-point lead, ending up with 16-10 in the first quarter.

The game got a little tougher for both teams in the second quarter. As two minutes passed, CS team player Sameer Macacua jumped for a slam dunk, making the crowd cheer louder. But this dunk was not enough to scare the Tigers. They managed to answer it by a flawless three-point shot and a few calculated jump shots, advancing their lead to 25-14.

With less than 5 minutes left to play for the first half, the Chameleons tried to tone down scores by letting their big men on the court. However, several lay-ups and free throws didn’t land correctly inside the basket. SEA team ended the first half with a lucky shot, 32-21.

For the third quarter, the Tigers were very eager to continue the momentum of the game. However, the Chameleons had not yet lost their fighting spirit. They continued to exchange shots and offensive rebounds. The CS Team managed to cut down the opponent’s advantage, nearing scores at 32-30 with five minutes remaining for the said quarter.

But through the combined efforts of SEA players, Reno John Alas and Kenneth Villacorta, the Tigers roared louder as it rained three-point shots in the basket. SEA team was now back on the game, slamming 52-35 at the end of the third quarter.

During the last quarter, the Chameleons continued to struggle for baskets while the Tigers maintained their transition defensive play. Despite the three-pointer and jump shot attempts of the Chameleons, the Tigers still prevailed, concluding the game with a 15-point advantage, 68-53.

CS Team player Sameer Macacua expressed his views regarding the game and their performance as a team.

“Medyo minalas lang talaga kami sa mga freethrows at tsaka hindi kasi kami masyadong prepared. Pero at least, naibigay namin iyong best namin,” he said.

On the other hand, SEA team player Melvin Solon was excited to play for the Finals Game.

“For the championship game, mas magpapraktis pa kami. Manalo o matalo, ibibigay namin ang lahat,” Solon said.

SEA Tigers will be facing the Accountancy Griffins for the Palaro Men’s Basketball Championship Game on Aug. 13.