MANILA, Philippines – Count on Kevin Quiambao to always stretch the limits of what is possible in Philippine collegiate basketball.
Just when all hope seemed to be gone for La Salle late in Game 2 of the UAAP finals, the back-to-back MVP reminded all why he is the king of the league, drilling wild shot after wild shot in increasing levels of difficulty and insanity to force a stunning 76-75 coup of on-fire UP on Wednesday, December 11.
In front of 17,112 fans at the Mall of Asia Arena, all of whom were cheering at their absolute loudest for their teams, Quiambao exploded for 22 points — 11 coming in the Archers’ fourth-quarter comeback bid — to lead all scorers in the highly stressful and cardiac affair.
Topex Robinson, a coach who has seen it all in his career at the sidelines, was still left speechless with what his prized ward pulled out of his hat to give La Salle another chance.
“First, I just wanna be clear that, you know, KQ is just one of us. When we were down and out, these guys just told everybody that just don’t give up, just keep playing,” he said after the game, which featured Quiambao coming off the bench in a surprise shift.
“I guess we made the necessary scouts in the end game and just gave us the opportunity to connect from the outside, but I don’t know what happened and I don’t know what transpired. We’re so grateful that we got to see another day and get to play another game [for the] championship.”
Down 71-63 in halfway through the fourth, La Salle fully leaned on its leaders, Quiambao and fellow Mythical Five member Mike Phillips, when things looked bleak, and as leaders do, both were able to carry the Archers to a Game 3 decider to possibly clinch a back-to-back title bid.
Heading to the final game of the season, Robinson is simply grateful that he still has Quiambao by his side with whatever time he has left in the UAAP, as he is set to make a huge career decision and likely head to the Korean Basketball League to turn pro.
“It’s always a blessing to have these guys, and I mean, I’m just so grateful that we have these players, as we go to battle with these guys. That’s why I’m so thankful that these guys are really responding to the challenge,” Robinson said. – Rappler.com