admu vs. ust

i hate ust. know why?

because all their players look so nice and friendly and are really good at basketball. there is jervy cruz and dylan ababou who flash those winsome smiles that just makes one all motherly and think... "oooooh! oversized grade two children... how cute." or that japs cuan looks so much like barkada trip's bok. or that mirza, the rookie, looks so much like a young severus snape (and i like snape). or that allera is just so my type.

i hate ust because there isn't anyone to dislike in the team. there isn't anyone to throw vile cuss words at. they ARE good. but they are nice. it's no fun making fun at them because it simply feels evil. the only thing i can think off is calling them the UST jebras because their uniform uses black stripes on white which is no way a tiger, but a zebra or a jebra if you are from bohol which i'm not but it sounds funny so there.

last thursday was already nerve-wracking for me, with a paper due the next day. but instead of starting on it, of course, i had to watch the ateneo-ust game. wearing my nice and soft ANG SARAP MAGING ATENISTA shirt (c/o tat and nin). of course.

and so quarter after quarter, i saw my team pummeled by the jebras... i ached seeing them fumble with the ball... i hated seeing shots miss the ring while the yellows just stabbed us with threes and twos... and i resented the fact that i could not dislike jervy cruz... and more irked that i wanedt to pinch dylan's cheeks...

and then the fourth quarter came... i think it was my jai-namite who started pumping life back into the team. of course, everybody else did a great job especially chris tiu who has been using his smarts the entire game. i was getting that wonderful feeling of "kaya to!"

and even during the last minute when ust got their lead back at 69-70... with less than 12 seconds to go, i think... "kaya to!" my heart was beating fast, my hands linked with jan's, like the rest of the team on the bench... the UST was defending real hard... from jai to ford who was double teamed... to kirk long who looked unsteady but still had to take that last shot... as he was about to release the ball... i thought to myself, "there will be a miracle! i know it!" and there it was... what seemed like an awkward shot went in! clean and clear!

we won the damn game! almost killed me getting there... but we did it!

i know, i know... it's a regular game. but hey... for most ateneans, every uaap basketball game is a championship game. we aren't called ateneo's 6th men for nothing.

i think i can conjure an patronus charm easily thinking of that last second...