School of Engineering and Architecture (SEA) Tigers trumped reigning champs Accountancy (ACC) Griffins in a clean tourney sweep throughout the Palarong Atenista 2022 Basketball Championships, 60-52. 

From the eliminations, semi-finals, and up to the championships, the Tigers managed to win all games with comfortable leads. 

“Maka happy kasi anticipated na dyud namo na back-to-back ang matchup pud ba [vs ACC],” Tiger Captain Javen Magbanua said.

Joachim Weill led the Tigers to victory, dominating in both offense and defense. He was, later on, declared part of the Mythical 5, as well as the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player. 

Meanwhile, Jed Delos Santos stepped up for the Griffins and gave the most baskets. He said that he is grateful for the opportunity to reach the finals stage on his first time playing for Palarong Atenista.

”We had to make sacrifices talaga like mag practice kami hanggang 12am, which would interfere sa school namin para bukas. Mahirap talaga kasi Accounting students kami,” Delos Santos said, when asked how his team prepared for the tournament.

The first half of the game was a close fight between two teams, where both teams exchanged baskets, and the audience exchanged cheers by the minute. 

SEA struggled with their defense and gave away free throws for the ACC due to player fouls, giving the Griffins a 24-23 lead for the first half. 

By the third period, the Tigers finally adjusted and showed off their intact defense. Weill scored from the box along with a free throw early in the quarter that gave SEA their first lead of the match, 26-24. 

Delos Santos contributed the most baskets for the ACC with his consistent penalty shots, but they were unable to catch up to SEA’s expanding lead by the end of the third quarter, 43-34.

SEA’s defense was already impenetrable by the final quarter, with ACC unable to score four minutes in the final quarter, 46-36. 

With the Tigers trying to secure the lead, with Bugayong going for back-to-back triple shots and extending the lead, 56-44, with three minutes left on the clock. 

Andre Nebria and Jed Delos Santos tried to close the gap for the Griffins, scoring back-to-back points for their team with baskets and free throws, 50-56. 

Time was running out, and SEA ended the quarter and the match with an eight-point lead, 60-52. 

The ACC Griffins have crowned basketball champions back in 2019, also against the SEA Tigers, 88-79. 

Magbanua mentioned that it was some sort of rematch against the Griffins, noting that most of the players were also the same people that battled for the same title two years ago.

Earlier before the championship match, the School of Nursing Panthers defeated the Social Sciences Dragons in the battle-for-third bout to secure the bronze for their cluster.

The rest of the Mythical 5 include Tristan Arnado (Social Sciences), Paolo Antonio (School of Nursing), Brenzel Barug (SEA), and Jed Delos Santos (ACC)

The championship game was held on August 12 and was live streamed via the SAMAHAN Palarong Atenista Facebook Page.