Ilonggo John Bryan Sajonia impresses in UAAP seniors’ basketball debut

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Ilonggo guard John Bryan Sajonia let everyone know that he is one of the most promising additions to the Far Eastern University Tamaraws after their 76-51 demolition of the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers.

Sajonia was a force on both ends of the floor and finished the lopsided game with 12 points, eight rebounds, and two steals.

During the 3:37 mark of the first quarter, the former superstar product of Santa Clarita International School swished in his first bucket as a Tamaraw senior after draining a wide-open left corner three-pointer.

The waxing-hot Sajonia then buried another long-distance trey scoring six quick points that helped end their first 12 minutes in a dominating fashion.

With the second quarter drawing to a close, Sajonia showed his slashing skills and went coast to coast for a layup that ballooned the FEU lead to 29 points.

Sajonia picked up where he left off and added another three-point bomb in the second half that made him the second-leading scorer of the Tamaraws behind RJ Abarrientos who dropped 18 points, five rebounds, and two assists.

It was a momentum-boosting start for Sajonia and the Tamaraws who are out to prove themselves as a well-built unit since the departure of some of their young core and superstars.

Aside from Sajonia’s stellar debut and Abarrientos’ offensive explosion, the Tamaraws also got solid performances from Emmanuel Ojuola, Rodel Gravera, and Aevin Coquia.

The Tamaraws will face the daunting task of stopping the Ateneo Blue Eagles in their next match schedule, Tuesday, March 29.