AFTER SPEARHEADING a title defense for the UST Junior Tigresses, last year’s Rookie of the Year Riri Perez was crowned the UAAP Season 88 girls’ Most Valuable Player, leading two of her teammates into the division’s Elite Team.
Perez delivered a dominant campaign, tallying a league-best 103.5 statistical points (SPs) across six games to power the España squad to a 5-1 record and a successful title defense.
She also bagged the Finals MVP after toppling the NUNS Lady Bullpups with averages of 18.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and three steals in two games.
The Iloilo native is the second Junior Tigress to win both league and Finals MVP honors in a season, after Growling Tigress Barby Dajao achieved the same feat in Season 87.
Joining her on the Elite Team are teammates Lea Pinuela and foreign student-athlete KouKou Kalla, who posted 76 and 74.333 SPs, respectively, finishing among the top performers in the tournament.
Other members in the Elite Team are Lady Bullpups’ Aubrey Lapasaran and Zhayden Rosano.
Meanwhile, Tiger Cubs swingman Kirk Cañete emerged as UST’s lone bright spot in the boys’ division, joining the Elite Team of the category. Cañete registered 69.5 SPs over 14 games, enough to secure his spot as one of the league’s best performers.
The Tiger Cubs failed to defend their Season 87 crown, missing the Final Four with a 5-9 record to finish sixth in the standings.
Also in the boys’ division Elite Team are league MVP Cabs Cabonilla of FEU-D, Maco Dabao of DLSZ and the Ateneo duo Jay-M Leal and Jude Eriobu, who also won the Best Foreign Student Athlete award. F Lorenzo Sebastian Amoroso
