The Varsitarian

MORE than just sharpening their claws away from the lair, the UST Tigresses went into a greater off-season workout, polishing potential offensive and defensive fangs among their second stringers.

With the PRISAA diadem on the line, the former UAAP champions – reeling from the previously quiet showing of their bread-and-butter tandem – gamely gambled on the team’s reserves, who responded well to help UST secure its first off-season title via a 73-58 spanking of a stubborn Central Visayas (Region 7) squad last April 13.

“They (the Tigresses) showed a lot of potential,” assistant coach Julie Amos, named as the tournament’s Best Coach, told the Varsitarian. “Several players off the bench stepped up to help the team’s key performers.”

Rookie Paula Bombeo and seldom-used Katrina Fermin chipped in 11 and 12 points, respectively, to take the offensive load off the marquee pair of Marichu Bacaro and Remia Buenacosa. The two had struggled to find their range against the suffocating defense of the Cebu-based quintet, which dealt the Tigresses a 58-72 elimination-round stunner – their only loss in the tournament – last April 9.

“The loss against Cebu, our first assignment, was a good lesson,” Amos said. “It taught us to find a remedy when our key players were consistently being pressured.”

In the semifinals, the dynamic duo of Bacaro and Buencosa led the Tigresses to an 80-62 ousting of Davao (Region 11), last April 12 to arrange a finals date with the Cebuana cagebelles.

Last April 11, UST displayed steely endurance amid a double-header playdate, clobbering Calabarzon (Region 4-A), 75-43, and Southern Mindanao (Region 9), 90-12, a day after ripping Socskargen (Region 12), 111-25, last April 10.

Bacaro and Buenacosa, picked as Best Point Guard and Best Power Forward, respectively, barged into the Mythical Five along with Best Small Forward Nikki Leonardo.