Cobras, Lancers face off in Cesafi ‘finals preview’

EARLY title favorites University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers and the Southwestern University (SWU) Cobras will clash for the second time, this time to get an assurance for a slot into the finals in the main game of the semifinal round of the 2012 Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) Basketball Tournament at the Cebu Coliseum at 6:15 p.m.

Meanwhile, defending champion University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters and the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars will be fighting for dear life as they aim to get at least a chance to enter the finals through backdoor entry in their encounter at 4:30 p.m.

The 2010 champions Cebu Eastern College Dragons will also try to regain their footing as they face the defending champions UV Baby Lancers at 1 p.m., while top seed Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles will gun for their 10th straight win against the surprise package Cebu Institute of Technology-University Wildkittens in the 2:45 p.m. game.

UV opened its semifinal campaign with an emphatic 79-45 win over UC last Tuesday while SWU survived the troublesome Jaguars, 97-86, last Thursday.

This game could be a preview of the upcoming season finals as both teams have two common interests—both are eager for a payback and a finals slot.

The Lancers will try to exorcise the ghost of last year’s ugly ending in their knockout semifinal encounter with the Cobras, which saw five Lancers, including coach Donbel Belano, getting thrown out and suspended, while the Cobras are out to avenge their 95-85 loss to UV last Aug. 26.

The Lancers will need additional production from Steve Cedrick Akomo, Wowie Escocio, Jerome Silva, Eman Calo, Phil Mercader and John Abad and hope that somebody from the bench will explode offensively and defensively.

The Cobras, meanwhile, are on a high with Monbert Arong scoring a season-best 38 points, while Bernie Bregondo, Merbien Dedace, Daryl Goloran, Benito Ortuyo and Joseph Nalos can also contribute.

Cameroonian centers Akomo of UV and Benoit Mbala and Justine Aboude of SWU could be the turning point of this game.