THE University of the Visayas (UV) Baby Lancers made sure to keep the nightmare of the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Baby Jaguars going as they handed the preseason champs an 81-69 beatdown in the 2019 Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (Cesafi) high school basketball tournament at the Cebu Coliseum on Sunday, September 29, 2019.
The win raised UV’s win-loss record to 3-1 while USJ-R, which came into season with raised expectations for its first title after emerging victorious in the preseason Partner’s Cup, fell to its fourth straight loss. The Baby Jaguars and the University of Cebu in Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue are the only winless teams this season.
UV started to run away with the game in the third period after they unleashed an 11-2 run sparked by three three-pointers by AJ Sacayan and Christian Alilin that pushed the Baby Lancers lead to 18, 65-47.
USJ-R could only come within 14 in the fourth as UV quickly answered with baskets from Dave Basalo and Samuel Melicor to squelch whatever comeback hopes the Baby Jaguars had.
Floppy-haired assassin Christian Alilin led UV in scoring with 21 points, laced with four three-pointers while four others also scored in double-figures. Basalo had 13 points and seven rebounds, Melicor and Sacayan added 12 markers each while Fritz Banzon chipped in 11 for the Baby Lancers.
Kevin Guibao led the way for USJ-R with 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists but failed to get any significant help from the rest of his teammates. Dilcer Gaviola punched in 17 markers. (SunStar Cebu)