‘Shot from heaven’ gives La Salle momentary relief

MANILA, Philippines – CJ Austria let the ball fly from downtown. As the ball and outcome of the game hung in the air, so did what remains of the La Salle Green Archers’ challenging UAAP campaign. 

Half a second later, the shot went in, resulting in pure jubilation from the side in green and white – a rare occurrence over the last few weeks, which had been marred by dreaded defeats. 

Teammates rushed to congratulate Austria, wrestling him with adoration to the ground. Ben Phillips accidentally hugged a referee instead. Deschon Winston recorded and posted an Instagram highlight reel from the bench. Suddenly, it was all good vibes as the Green Archers escaped with an 81-78 win over the Adamson Soaring Falcons on Thursday, November 17.

They aren’t at the point of no return just yet.

By defeating Adamson at the buzzer, La Salle is in the thick of things in the race for the fourth spot in the league standings at 4-6. 

With UP, Ateneo, and NU already a leg up on their contemporaries, the Archers find themselves in an arms race with the UE Red Warriors, FEU Tamaraws, and Soaring Falcons for what could be the last ticket to the Final Four dance.

If Austria missed the shot and La Salle fell apart in overtime, the Green Archers’ Final Four quest with a tough schedule coming up might have been too tall a task to accomplish, even for a team which came in as a preseason favorite to win the title.

But one shot has changed the current dynamic. At least for now. 

“The shot of CJ here, that came from the heavens,” a relieved La Salle head coach Derrick Pumaren said in a mix of Filipino and English.

“It was a shot given to us. Finally, we got a break after losing four straight games where we were put in situations where we can win the ball game but we were not able to close it out.”

La Salle played without Winston and Raven Cortez, who are still nursing calf and ankle injuries, respectively, but Adamson was without MVP candidate Jerom Lastimosa and solid role player Vince Magbuhos. Even Joshua Yerro, who was having arguably his best game of the season, suffered cramps late in the contest.

The Green Archers’ weak points – inconsistent shooting and defensive breakdowns in the press, among others – still showed, and at this point, La Salle is nowhere near the elite team that can have a crack at the original goal it set out to achieve.

“We’re down, but we’re not out. We fought until the end of the game,” said Austria.

The moment was gratifying for Austria not just because of what it meant for his team, but also for himself. The former UE high school product revealed that he lost both of his grandfathers, but opted to remain in the team dorm.

“I want to help our team this season,” Austria said.

For Pumaren, part of that process is trusting each other. Out of the 27 field goals the Green Archers sank, 20 were assisted, but none more important than the last one courtesy of Phillips, who earned extended minutes and delivered the best performance of his career.

Phillips finished with 14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.

“I’m happy that Ben passed it to me. He trusted me,” Austria said.

Phillips converted a four-point play and hit another triple in the fourth quarter to keep La Salle in striking distance when Adamson threatened to pull away. When the ball found him at the top of the key with the game on the line, he had every right to take the shot and live with the results.

He opted to make the extra pass. And it proved to be a wise decision.

“We gotta trust each other and that’s what happened. Ben was hitting his three, but he saw CJ open,” Pumaren said.

“He made that extra pass… and then the shot from heaven came.”

It doesn’t get easier for La Salle from here. It will face UP over the weekend and will close the elimination round with matchups against NU, UE, and UST. Each game will essentially be a make-or-break situation, with each victory integral for survival and each defeat detrimental to the Green Archers’ Final Four chances.

Whether or not basketball gods and heaven play a role in determining sporting outcomes – and perhaps Pumaren believes it so –  La Salle may need a few more breaks from the powers above.

But at least for now, the Green Archers can breathe a sigh of relief. – Rappler.com