After almost a 15-year championship drought, the School of Nursing (SON) Panthers finally secured a win in Men’s Basketball, beating Business and Management (B&M) Vipers with a score of 67-61.

The first to second quarter started with a calm playoff with close scores favoring BM Vipers. However, the Panthers pushed through the muddy marshals with their accurate three-pointers at the start of the game’s second half. 

With relentless cheering from supporters of both clusters, the third quarter ended with the Vipers having an 8-point edge against the SON Panthers. Nevertheless, it did not let the SON’s spirit down as Antonio regained their momentum after scoring the first field goal of the fourth quarter. 

The crowd’s feelings were already mixed with thrill and anxiety as the Panthers evened out to 48-48 through Antonio’s and Urbuda’s effective two and three-pointer shootouts with seven minutes left in the last quarter. 

Antonio finally led SON’s 2-point lead with a field goal, ousting the Vipers. With great perseverance between both teams, the game finally ended with a 6-point lead in favor of SON Panthers, backseating the Vipers to the 1st runner-up title in this year’s Palaro. 

SON Panthers team captain Paulo Antonio told Atenews that bringing home the trophy was an honor because it’s been decades since their cluster’s last championship bout.

“It’s an honor because first-time naka-champion ang Nursing sa Basketball. Last year is..14 years sila last nakapasok sa semis, and we won third. Now, Nakagawa na kami, and we won the championship,” he said.

Panther Buddy Lagos also stated that he once felt ‘discouraged’ by the long SON drought; however, he highlighted the team’s efforts and chemistry in representing their cluster in this year’s Palaro.

“Summer pa kami naga-practice so nag-prepare talaga kami… summer since first year college pa [ako]… so gi-gawa namin ang best namin,” Lagos stated. 

“Overall, it was a rollercoaster ride, hindi.. sa point na nagsalig kami na ma-sure na kami ‘yung champion, meron pa rin talagang obstacles along the way,” Antonio told Atenews when asked about his overall experience throughout the game. 

Regarding the preparations, the Panthers highlighted their busy schedules as nursing students, which was one of the ‘sacrifices’ in their journey towards the championship. 

“..Since nursing [kami], hectic ang schedule and duties, naga-practice kami [at] saturdays  sundays lang, every after duties yan siya.”

SON Panthers’ Earl Tiu signified the essence of ‘mental toughness’ as part of their overall preparation.

“Basically, nag-prepare kami physically and mentally kasi siyempre at the game of basketball hindi lang puro physical, meron ding mental toughness.” 

The players also expressed their gratitude towards the never-ending support they have received, stating that their cluster shall be something to “look out for” for the upcoming competitions. 

“Look out for us kasi naging competitive na ang Nursing. We promise na we’ll maintain this status sa upcoming competitions or intramurals,” Antonio said.
The men’s basketball championship was live streamed via the Ateneo de Davao University Facebook page and was held on the 4th floor of Martin Hall on October 13.