Saturday, March 01, 2008 Lancers, Cobras relive old games
IT'S a repeat of the 1996 Inter-Collegiate championship after the University of the Visayas Green Lancers and the Southwestern University Cobras escaped their separate rivals in the semifinal matches of the 2008 National Students Basketball Championship (NSBC) last night at the Cebu Coliseum.
The Cobras banked on the triple of Alfred Belande in the final 34.1 seconds of the game to escape with a 98-94 win over University of Luzon while the Lancers needed two overtimes to deal the industrious University of San Carlos Warriors a 100-98 defeat.
It was in 1996 when the Cobras, then coached by Eddie Ybañez, defeated the Lancers who had Jerry Aratan at the bench calling the shots to win the National Inter-Collegiate title at the same venue.
Twelve years after, when the changing of the guards happened, the Cobras of Dodie Miego are again the underdogs in the championship against the Lancers of Elmer “Boy” Cabahug.
However, the Warriors gave a lot of help to the Cobras as the shorter but very athletic USC players pushed the taller counterparts to the limit.
USC took control of the game early and erected its biggest lead at 13-points, 50-37 early in the third when UV started to make their move, dropping a devastating 16-2 run to take the lead for the first time at 53-52 at the 4:23 mark.
It was the start of a thrilling ball game that ended with both teams never letting the game slip from their fingers.
UV had a 76-72 lead in regulation period when USC scored the last four points to take the game to the first overtime period.
In the first overtime, UV had an 89-86 lead after Ritchum Dennison sank two free throws with 2.2 seconds left to play.
However, Giovanni Padillo sank a buzzer beating triple off a baseball pitch by Enrico Llanto from the baseline of the opposite court for the second overtime.
And in the second overtime, UV was ahead, 100-95, at the 59.1 seconds when USC climbed, 98-100, at the final 28.2 seconds but the Lancers has spent too much time in their possession that the Warriors only had two seconds to make an attempt from the back court, which fell short off the target.
Luckily for the Lancers, they had a Michael Luga who kept them alive in the game when the Warriors were campaigning strong to knock them out of the contest.
Luga scored the game high 30 points for UV while Niño Ramirez topped USC with 27 markers.
Meanwhile, the UV Baby Lancers missed its chances to win the Inter-Secondary title as they were caught flat footed by the taller, faster and determined Pilgrim Christian College of Cagayan de Oro City for a 95-83 defeat.
PCC Baby Voyagers will play against Benedict International School of Quezon City in the finals of the Inter-Secondary. BIS defeated University of Pangasinan 84-77 in their semifinal match.
