GOING home with a gold medal is the gift the members of the boys’ volleyball team of the Cebu City Niños want to give to their family when they go home from more than a week’s stint in the 2019 Batang Pinoy Visayas Qualifying in Iloilo City.
The Cebu City team is one step away from completing that mission after beating La Carlota in straight sets, 25-22, 25-17 in the semifinals on Thursday, Feb. 28, at the Central Philippines University gym.
The win in the semis means Cebu City is already guaranteed a slot in the Batang Pinoy National Finals as the top three teams in the Visayas will advance.
The Cebuano spikers, though, will not settle for just a slot in the national finals as they also eye to bag the top prize in the regional competition.
Cebu City came short in the championship against Antique in the previous Visayas qualifier in Dumaguete City but they will make sure history won’t repeat itself this year.
“We are motivated to win the gold medal for our family. Even if they’re not here, we want them to see our achievement with the gold medal when we get home,” team captain Isaiah Jehu Gabut told SunStar Cebu in Cebuano.
Cebu City will face either its 2017 tormentor Antique or the host Iloilo City, which were playing in the other semifinal at press time.
Cebu City remains undefeated in all its five games and it wants to keep its clean record intact.
Cebu City’s coach Jessie Yungco believes he has enough weapons for the championship match with two players from the 2018 National Finals champion in Baguio City still in the roster.
“Two members of the championship team in Baguio City are still here. But most of the new additions can really contribute. I’m sure they will be coming out hungry in the championship game,” he said.
The Cebu City team is composed of players from the University of San Carlos, the University of Southern Philippines, Abellana National School, the University of San Jose-Recoletos, Cebu Normal University and the University of Cebu.
All of the team members have volunteered as junior coaches for the Cebu City Sports Commission grassroots program.
Yungco said that they did not relax in this tournament and had practices when they arrived in Iloilo City before the opening ceremony last Feb. 24.
“The boys showed dedication from the beginning when we started the practice in Cebu last January. It continued when we arrived here with our practices. We did not relax and we will continue to give the same intensity in our final game,” he said.
Also in volleyball, Negros Occidental broke the hearts of Cebu Province after prevailing in a tightly-contested match, 25-22, 25-21 in the girls’ semifinals.
Cebu Province was leading in the early going of the first set but Negros Occidental recovered and made it a close game at 22-all before scoring three consecutive points to draw first blood at 25-22.
With momentum on their side, Negros Occidental rushed to a 15-10 lead in the second set. Cebu Province retaliated to make it 18-all. But the former again had the better end game en route to a straight sets win.
On the other hand, the Cebu Province boys’ basketball team had a thrilling route to the semis. Cebu Province lost to Cebu City, 81-77, at the Iloilo Sports Complex Covered Gym in the final game of the elimination round.