Scrappy "Zags" plays key role in Ateneo's dominance of La Salle

It was another one-sided affair in the latest episode of the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry.

The Blue Eagles forced the Green Archers in a maze of errors in the second half to secure a 79-62 rout in front of just 14,229 fans at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. The win earned the Loyola-based squad a perfect 11-0 slate and a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four.

Kiefer Ravena had another solid game, so did Eman Monfort. Greg Slaughter was in foul trouble but eventually got himself involved in the fourth quarter and Nico Salva scored the chunk of Ateneo's points in the second half to beat their archrivals for the 11th time in the last 14 games.

But it was reserve Tonito Gonzaga who stood out in this match. The lefty who at times make Manu Ginobili-like layups had a career-high 12 points and also did his usual dirty work on both ends, particularly in the third period when the Eagles forced the Archers into several turnovers that easily led to transition baskets.

For his scrappy job, Gonzaga also had four rebounds, three assists and two steals in just 21 minutes, earning him a huge ovation from the Ateneo crowd and probably a thumbs up sign from owners playing that UAAP Fantasy Basketball on PBFantasy.com.

Gonzaga, who is sometimes confused to the famed actress, has made strides since his rookie year in 2008. Most of his appearances that year came during garbage time, displaying glimpses of promise.

He slowly rose up in the Eagles rotation, even as veteran wingmen began to depart. Last season, Gonzaga, fondly called as "Zags", had a minor role in the team's hard-fought three-peat and this year, his minutes somehow grew thanks to his hardworking effort.

He's a "coaches player", some sportswriters and observers believed and Ateneo taskmaster Norman Black is glad to have him on the lineup.

"He's been very consistent coming off the bench," Black said of Gonzaga. "He's probably our best bench player this year and he comes off and gives energy every single game so tonight was a good offensive night for him and he always plays good defense."

It was another disappointing loss for the Archers, who are now two back of University of Santo Tomas in the race for the No. 4 spot.

The dominance of Ateneo and the otherwise inconsistency of La Salle perhaps encourage some fans not to watch the 67th tussle of these two nemesis in the UAAP since 1986.

Saved for a La Salle fan who had a shouting match with UAAP president Ricky Palou of host Ateneo for heckling commissioner Andy Jao and his crew, there were no fireworks in this match.

In fact, about 60, maybe 70 or even 75 percent of the crowd were bleeding blue while there were several seats left in the cheap bleachers section on the green side.

Ateneo-La Salle II: Just another game

We're just hours away from the second meeting of between Ateneo and La Salle, the biggest rivalry in college basketball.

There seems to be little interest though. For obvious reasons, both squads are on different paths in this UAAP season.

Ateneo is dominating with a perfect 10-0 record thanks to the Greg Slaughter's imposing presence in the paint, Kiefer Ravena "unrookie-like" performance and key players such as Nico Salva, Eman Monfort and Kirk Long making their veteran presence.

Saved for some inconsistent first half efforts against University of the Philippines and University of the East, the Blue Eagles are such a well-oiled machine that they may even finish the elimination round with a perfect record or at best complete a rare four-peat.

Then, there's La Salle, a team that is up-and-down (mostly down) and hoping to snap a three-game losing skid.

It's been a difficult year for the Green Archers. Their offense has been inconsistent, their defense hasn't carried them unlike in the old days and then there's injuries and sickness. No wonder coach Dindo Pumaren is in hot water these days.

Their difference makes this latest battle between these two old rivals just another game.

There's been nothing special about this rivalry for the last year or two simply because of Ateneo's dominance.

Ateneo has beaten La Salle four of the last five meetings and the former won most of those games by double figures thanks to strong starts and several 15-20 point leads.

And that's what makes this rivalry predictable. La Salle just isn't competitive unlike in the old days where it's hard to predict a winner.

The characters from both sides we're interesting too.

There's Mark Cardona and Wesley Gonzales taking trash at each other.

There's Enrico Villanueva annoying La Salle fans with his antics and also ripping them with their post moves.

There's Carlos Sharma and Jerwin Gaco playing physical to the disgust of the Ateneo gallery.

And there's Renren Ritualo, Mike Cortez (except in Game 3 of the 2002 Finals), LA Tenorio and Larry Fonacier uncorking clutch shots.

It might take a while before this rivalry becomes competitive again. For now, fans from both sides will to settle with a one-sided game later at 3 p.m. unless the Archers pull off an stunning upset.

The first game of the doubleheader pits University of Santo Tomas and UE at 11 a.m. It's going to be an interesting match with the Tigers, led by Jeric Fortuna, Jeric Teng and Karim Abdul, aiming to increase their lead over La Salle and National University for the fourth spot in the standings although UE has been playing better recently despite a team is awful on paper.

UST versus UE used to be THE rivalry in the UAAP.

Veteran sportswriters, most them graduates of both schools, used to recall how great their rivalry was.

Before Ateneo and La Salle arrived, the then-Golden Glowies and the Red Warriors figured in numerous title clashes with the latter, mostly led by Robert Jaworski, winning most of their UAAP record seven consecutive titles from 1965-1971 (photo on the right taken from Video48) at the former's expense.

The last time they met in the championship was in 1985 when Allan Caidic and Jerry Codinera led UE to a win over the Pido Jarencio-led UST cagers. It was the 18th-and-last (to this date) for the Recto-based cagers.

The rivalry died around the 90's as UST won a four-peat and UE having an up-and-down decade. In 2006, the Tigers overcame a twice-to-beat disadvantage to stun the Warriors in the Final Four. Of course, everyone in Espana knew what happened after that.

Will UE and UST rekindle their rivalry someday? Unfortunately, it may take another generation for that to happen.