THE years when the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc (Cesafi) had to scurry to look for students to watch the basketball games seems to be over.
After Game 1 of the championship series, which became a virtual standing room only, Cesafi had to find a solution for the sizeable crowd who watched not just the finals but also the battle for third place, which is being played by Cesafi’s more popular teams.
As a solution, the gates will open two hours before the games start. The Coliseum will start admitting viewers at 11:30 a.m. today.
Meanwhile, what was expected as a tooth-and-nail fight turned out to be a huge blowout with the University of the Visayas Green Lancers taking Game 1 of the Best-of-Five finals series of the Cesafi Thursday night at the Cebu Coliseum.
Worst
Last Thursday’s performance was probably the worst that the University of San Jose-Recoletos have played the entire season.
Looking to be the first team to finally beat the Green Lancers, the Jaguars have tonight to redeem themselves and even the
series. Otherwise, the team will be staring at a 0-2 hole in the finals.
The Jaguars fans also came out in full force.
Their side of the coliseum was filled with school officials and it seems most USJ-R students showed up in support for the Jaguars. But they had nothing to show for, except Lyndon Gudez, who clearly was itching to take the Jaguars back to the limelight.
Gudez, who has been benched some time now because of his knee injury, was the only silver lining in a distraught USJ-R squad.
Should Gudez’ fellow veterans, Armand Ponce, Luther Justiniani, Manny Gabas and Jan Malinao click on their usual fierce selves, then USJ-R will be back in the game and should at least give UV a bit of a hard time in this long series.
On the other hand, UV head coach Elmer Cabahug did not have an ounce of trouble as his veteran backcourt—Von Lañete, Chris Diputado and Ritchum Dennison—remained the offensive threat that they always have been.
Greg Slaughter, UV’s sophomore center, also maintained dominance at the post.
Making it easier for Cabahug was how his second stringers contributed to the win. If UV keeps its confidence level in check today, it will take another step closer to its eighth straight Cesafi title.
Meanwhile, in the juniors division, the UV Baby Lancers is looking to avenge its Game 1 loss to the University of Cebu Baby Webmasters.
Today, the MVP awards and the Mythical Teams of both the juniors and seniors divisions will also be awarded given out. (MCB)
