THE SHS-Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles hung tough in the endgame, thanks to the clutch play of Mike Boniel and LA Casinillo to vanquish the reigning champions University of Cebu (UC) Baby Webmasters, 65-62, in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) high school basketball tournament at the Cebu Coliseum on Saturday, November 9, 2019.
Ateneo de Cebu’s win forged a three-way tie with UC and the University of the Visayas (UV) as all three teams ended the elimination round with identical 8-2 win-loss records.
Computations made by deputy commissioner Danny Duran saw UC claiming the top spot while Ateneo de Cebu rose to second. The two teams will have a twice to beat advantage in the semifinal round. UC will be facing off against the University of Southern Philippines Foundation while Ateneo de Cebu takes on UV.
It was a thrilling game that saw the game tied at 57-all after a three-pointer by UC’s King Balaga with 2:49 to go. However, the Magis Eagles uncorked an 8-2 run that featured two free-throws by Ariel Dinglasan, a short jumper by Raffy Celis, a layup by Casinillo and a midrange jumper by Boniel for a 65-59 lead, time down to 32.1 seconds.
UC pulled to within three after a triple by Isaiah Blanco and even got the ball back after Balaga stole the inbounds pass of Ateneo de Cebu. However, Blanco missed a potential game-tying three-pointer to hand the win to Ateneo de Cebu.
Boniel finished with 19 points, three rebounds and three assists while Celis had 14 markers. Dinglasan missed out on a double-double with his eight points and 14 rebounds.
Blanco led UC with 17 points while Luther Leonard contributed 15. Balaga ended up with 13 points for the Baby Webmasters.