Friday, August 10, 2007 SWU Cobras return with a bang, bury USPF by 41 points in Cesafi
Games Today Cebu Coliseum Juniors 1 p.m. – USPF vs. DBTC 2:30 p.m. – UC vs. USJ-R
THE Southwestern University Cobras opened their comeback to local collegiate basketball scene with a bang after a 103-62 drubbing over the University of Southern Philippines Foundation at the Cebu Coliseum in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi).
The win made official SWU’s return to the main collegiate league after being on a leave of absence from the Cesafi since it started in 2001. It was the champion in the final season of the Cebu Amateur Athletic Association, the forerunner of the Cesafi.
SWU is also the training ground of now PBA star Jercules Tangkay and others who made it to the pro like Miller Dennison, Pablo Tecson, Maynard Padilla and Elmer dela Cruz.
In the game, SWU was in full control leading from start to finish. It zoomed to a 25-12 lead in the opening canto and the team never looked back from there. With its brilliant playing, it was not even evident, that SWU was playing mostly with new recruits.
Rookies
This season has proven to be the year of the rookies for Cesafi as SWU, down with just five players from its original roster formed earlier this year, had to bank on its new players to survive.
Most notable of them is flashy point guard Eliud Poligrates, who was fielded in the third period. Poligrates made the court a virtual stage with his exhibition of exceptional dribbling act, his comical facial expressions and his uncanny ability to get past defenders that had the crowd cemented on their seats.
Darling
The crowd cheered him on and if not for him, they would have gone home as the game was so lopsided that people started to lose interest. Poligrates, a native of Camotes, just scored four points but topped it off with four assists.
Meanwhile, another equally show-stopping performance was that of fellow rookie, the peppery Eric Zanoria, who also wowed the crowd with his brassy stunts. Zanoria scored 17 points for the Cobras.
It was actually Mariano Canonigo, leftover from the original Cobras from the Partners Cup time early this year, who stepped up for the team at the absence of compatriots Gilbert Gallarde, Alfred Belande and Clifford Maguate.
He topped all SWU scorers with 20 points. Another rookie who had an equally brilliant debut is Rene Pacquiao, who shelled out 15 markers with nine rebounds.
Richard Gianchiand, Eleazer Armecin and Crecente Litorja were the other players scoring in double digits for SWU as they combined for 34 points for the team.
