THE Cebu Institute of Technology-University Wildcats pulled off a major upset in the ongoing Cebu Schools Athletics Foundation Inc. basketball tournament when they defeated the highly-favored USJ-R Jaguars, 69-63, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, at the Cebu Coliseum.
The victory, the Wildcats’ second win against three losses, kept their flickering hopes for a semifinals berth alive. The Jaguars, on the other hand, dropped to 3-3.
Jerian Marc Abello, a transferee from the defunct SWU Cobras, scored 27 points, seven of those in the last two minutes when the Jaguars tried to pull a last-ditch attempt to win the game.
He also made nine points from the rainbow territory and became the best player of the game.
USJ-R leading scorer Elmer Echavez tried to rescue the Jaguars from danger, showcasing his skills as a one-man wrecking crew, but a double-teaming defense prevented him from doing damage. He finished the game with 26 points and eight rebounds.
In the high school division, the Baby Jaguars drubbed the Junior Wildcats, 45-31, while the UC Baby Webmasters devastated the Don Bosco Greywolves, 83-49.
Defending champions Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles clawed the University of the Visayas Baby Lancers, 64-48, in the other juniors game. / JBM