Target: 2-1

ONE team is hoping to keep its composure in the final stretches of the game, while the other is going for a perfect execution of its game plans.

That is what the Southwestern University Cobras and the University of the Visayas Green Lancers have in mind as they gun for a 2-1 lead in the 2012 Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) college finals. UV tied the series at 1-1 last Thursday before earning a short three-day rest.

Game 3 is at 5:30 p.m. today at the Cebu Coliseum.

“Composure. We have to play better and be composed in the final two minutes,” SWU head coach Raul Alcoseba told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday.

The Cobras could have taken a 2-0 lead going into today’s game if not for their collapse in Game 2 when Cameroonian centers Benoit Mbala and Justin Aboude marched out of the game just two minutes and 13 seconds apart after collecting their fifth fouls.

In addition, Alcoseba was slapped with a technical foul with a little over two minutes left to play and that became focal point in UV’s end game push.

UV head coach Felix “Donbel” Belano, on the other hand, is staying focused on their game plans.

Plan

“Our game plan was to execute our offense and limit our turnovers and to have more touches on the mismatches. Also, we will try to limit the touches of their guards. We want (Bernie) Bregondo or (Daryl) Goloran to take more attempts,” Belano said.

The guards of SWU have been posing problems to the Lancers in the past two games – Bonifacio Guillena and Joseph Nalos had a breakout game in Game 1. On the other hand, Monbert Arong had a hot night in Game 2, sinking eight triples and Guillena also had his share in breaking the outside defense of Lancers. Bregondo has been consistent in the past two games of the series.

“The boys are on a high morale and more motivated. We were able to maximize the three-day rest because we corrected our execution in our offense, which has been the problem all along,” said Belano.

However, the commissioner’s might have some surprise before the game as commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy will be submitting the incident report to the Cesafi board on what transpired after Game 2 when coach Alcoseba accosted the referees right after the final buzzer sounded.