With 23 seconds left in Game 2 of the UAAP Season 88 Finals, the DLSU Green Archers were staring at an opportunity to clinch their 11th UAAP championship. A two-point deficit didn’t really matter because they had Jacob Cortez and a frontcourt led by Mike Phillips that relentlessly battled for rebounds. 

However, the UP Fighting Maroons put a blanket on Cortez in the form of Jacob Bayla and so it was on Vhoris Marasigan, who was having a tough game himself, to try and end the series and hand LaSalle its 11th UAAP championship. Glory was inches away for DLSU, and yet almost is not quite enough. 

The pain from losses like this can at times be indescribable. They do tend to make you stare into space, and oftentimes, the pain lingers for days. Defeats that are as close to victory can knock you down, but as Rocky said, it’s how you get back up that matters. 

There’s a certain degree of level-headedness with these Green Archers, as while they tend to celebrate with swagger, they also know when to calm themselves down. Beyond that, LaSalle has also lifted each other up during their worst moments in Season 88. It’s something that’s rarely discussed beyond the physical and online confines of the Lasallian community, but it has been a huge reason for why DLSU is still a win away from a title. 

The Green Archers have gone through pretty much everything imaginable in Season 88: wins, losses, injuries, suspensions, and even some doubts from within their own fanbase. These adversities can break other teams, especially those that not only fail to look at the bigger picture, but also those that aren’t confident in themselves and in the abilities of their peers. LaSalle is not one of them. 

DLSU has relied on themselves and their support system in taking things one game at a time while adopting a next-man-up mentality that has showcased the depth of the Green Archers. When Mason Amos and Kean Baclaan sat out as they recovered from their knee injuries, the likes of Marasigan, Luis Pablo, Earl Abadam, Doy Dungo, and JC Macalalag picked up the slack. Yes, some of them already played significant roles, but they took it upon themselves to go beyond their predetermined roles. 

With a championship within grasp, the DLSU Green Archers will need to dig deep and tap into that mentality once again. The UP Fighting Maroons will double-down on putting Jacob Cortez on an island and this will open up chances for the rest of LaSalle. They’ve had experience playing sans a major contributor and that experience should help them in a series where fine margins have dictated the outcome of previous games. Game 3 is essentially a new ballgame and if they play their cards right, DLSU could very well come out on top and emerge as champions once again.