Jaguars rip Navs for BBEAL sweep

UNIVERSITY of the Cordilleras got past Saint Louis University to close out the eliminations with a bang and took the first finals seat in men’s basketball of the Baguio–Benguet Educational Athletic League at the UC gym during the weekend.

By scoring a 75-69 victory over the Navigators, the men’s defending titlist Jaguars also swept the elimination rounds with a clean 8-0 slate, thus earning themselves an incentive of an automatic trip to the finals.

Chad Russell Villanueva came up with clutch baskets especially when the team almost had a breakdown in the third period losing a double digit advantage and led the Jaguars with 27 points.

“I’m just very happy with the way the game turned out. Our defense almost collapsed in the third period but that did not stop us from winning,” said an elated coach Haynes Acdong in Filipino.

The Jaguars and the Navigators were battling neck and neck in the first quarter were SLU came on top at the close of the period with a 19-21 advantage before UC stormed back to life and regained a 23-21 advantage on a Villanueva basket in the 9:12 minute mark.

UC then outscored the Navigators in the final eight minute of the first half capped by an Ashley Nelson basket to put the Jaguars on top by 11, 40-29, with 27 seconds remaining, their biggest lead in the ball game.

The Jaguars continued the onslaught as it led by 12, 47-35, with 7:13 remaining in the third canto but that advantage was erased shortly as Jordan Gimeno rallied to tie the ball game at 51 with 3:55 left.

But it was a short rally indeed for the Navigators as the Jaguars ended the period with a 58-56 edge.

Villanueva then took command of the ball game for the Jaguars in the payoff canto as it thwarted every Nagivators run and got help from John Paul Juralbal and Leilmar Garcia to erect another double digit lead, 75-63, with 3:15 remaining in the ball game.

“It’s the first time that we swept the eliminations, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to win the title. We still need more work to be done,” added Acdong who played the 2-3 position in his early year as a Jaguar and closed his collegiate career as a 4-5 player.

Juralbal added 18 points for the Jaguars, which has yet to lose a ball game in BBEAL since winning the championship in 2011, as Garcia and Andrew Payas chipped in 11 points.

Laurence Gallano top scored for the Navigators with 19 points while Gimeno and Alvin Ray Dumuk chipped in 18 and 14 markers each.