THE favorites took over the weekend with critical wins at the Milo-backed BEST SBP-Passerelle Twin Tournament for Cebu.
In the Small Basketeers Philippines (SBP) division, defending champion University of San Carlos (USC) South Campus claimed two straight wins to lead the SBP standings.
The Baby Warriors defeated Cebu Eastern College (CEC), 47-38, and blasted the University of the Visayas (UV), 48-29, for a 4-0 record.
In the other SBP game, USC North defeated Don Bosco, 50-39, but was stalled by upstart CEC, 29-30, in a nail-biting game.
UV scored its first-ever win in SBP play history, a morale-boosting 38-35 triumph over the University of San Jose Recoletos (USJR).
Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) bounced back from its loss to USC North last week with a 61-13 thrashing of USJR.
The top four teams at the end of the classification phase will qualify for the playoffs with the top seed facing the fourth seed, while the second and third seeds knock each other out in the sudden death semifinals.
While USC South, USC North and SHS-AdC are teams that are expected to be seen at the top, CEC, which is currently at third with a 3-2 record has been the surprise package this year with their gritty wins.
It still needs to play one more game and a win over Don Bosco in its last assignment will mean a historical trip to the semifinals. (PR)