The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazers finished fourth in the 38th Kadayawan Invitational Basketball Tournament, after a rough offensive game against the Adamson University Soaring Falcons on Aug. 6 at the USEP Gymnasium and Cultural Center in Davao City.
The Blazers began the campaign with a commanding 91-83 victory over the San Beda University (SBU) Red Lions. The game was a close contest between both teams, evoking memories of their NCAA rivalry. After another clutch effort by the Blazers' top shooting guard Miguel Oczon, who scored 18 points to conclude the game, the Blazers triumphed over the Red Lions.
The Blazers were scheduled to play the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons in their next game. Both teams entered the game undefeated and looking for another win to boost their chances of making the finals. The Blazers' offense was led by Miguel Corteza and Paul Turco early in the first period, while the Falcons' attack was led by Didat Hanapi and Cedrick Manzano. The two teams' close encounters would be the highlight of the second period and would last until the final minutes of the third quarter. Midway through the third, the Falcons slowly pulled away from the Blazers with the help of rookie guard Matthew Montebon and forward Josh Barcelona, the Falcons would end the period up by 12, 41-53. The Blazers completely trailed in the close-out period, the Taft squad couldn’t hit the mark and slowly ran out of gas, yielding a win over the Falcons, 57-68.
The Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles, who were unblemished and tournament favorites, were the Blazers' last opponents as they sought to improve their record and earn a place in the finals. The Blue Eagles' size was evident right on; led by towering centers Mason Amos, Joseph Obasa, and Geo Chiu, the team dominated the boards and outmuscled the Blazers' big men in the paint. The Taft squad trailed by five, 13-18, to open the ball game. In the following period, Ateneo's size continued to be an advantage on both sides, but this time they paired it with their streaky and system-heavy offense, allowing them to increase their lead to double digits midway through the period, 16-26. The Blazers trailed, 24-39, at the completion of the first half. The Blazers attempted a comeback in the second half, spearheaded by Oczon and star forward Will Gozum, but the Blue Eagles never looked back, adding points to their advantage. The Blue Eagles powered their way to the finals, while the Blazers were eliminated from championship contention and slated to face the Adamson Soaring Falcons for third place.
The Blazers and Soaring Falcons squared off again for third place. Both teams were statistically out of title contention, therefore it was a duel for the podium finish. The match began similarly to their first encounter, with a back-and-forth battle. Jerom Lastimosa scored the Falcons' opening points from downtown, while Davao native and Blazers' team captain Robi Nayve opened the scoring for the Taft squad with a three of his own. Both teams came out firing and traded shots; the Blazers would go on an early run led by second-year guard Joshua Cajucom and Turco, who drilled consecutive baskets, while the Falcons would respond with their own run led by Montebon and Cedrick Manzano. The first quarter ended with both teams tied at 19. Despite a similar start by both teams, the Falcons would establish the tempo, hit from all directions, and push the ball forward to take an edge, closing the half with a double-digit lead, 34-44. Despite attempts by Nayve, who continued to knock down long bombs, the Blazers found themselves dropping again in the second half, as the Taft squad struggled to put the ball through the basket and the Falcons continued to rack up points. The Blazers fell short of a comeback to conclude their campaign at fourth place, 69-79.
