HARDWOOD action is expected to heat up in southern Cebu with the start of the 1st Calderon Cup 21-Under Inter-town Basketball Tournament, which officially opens on March 21, 2026.
Eight municipalities from Cebu’s Seventh District have confirmed their participation in this two-month-long basketball encounter, which serves to bolster the Grassroots Sports Development program of Cebu 7th District Representative Patsy Calderon.
The tournament aims to scout and develop local talent from across the district.
The teams representing their respective local government units (LGUs) are Dumanjug, Ronda, Alcantara, Moalboal, Badian, Malabuyoc, Ginatilan, and Alegria.
The squads will be divided into two groups - Bracket A and Bracket B.
To ensure that every game carries significant weight, the organizing committee has established a thrilling high-stakes format.
In the elimination round, each bracket will play a double round-robin format.
The top-seeded teams from each bracket (A1 and B1) will automatically clinch a spot in the semifinals.
The battle for the remaining slots will be contested by the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds from the opposing brackets in a crossover playoff.
In the semifinal round, the “early qualifiers” (A1 and B1) will face the winners of the quarterfinal matches in a knockout match to determine who will advance to the best-of-three championship series.
Aside from the prestige of being the inaugural champions, the winners will take home trophies and substantial cash prizes.
Individual awards will also be handed out to players who showcase exceptional skill, including the Mythical Five selection, Season’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), and Finals MVP.
As part of a comprehensive grassroots sports development program, Congresswoman Calderon revealed that she is also organizing tournaments for volleyball, tennis, football, and other sporting events to provide more opportunities for the youth of the Seventh District. / JBM