THE University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters bounced back and beat the defending champions, the University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers, 76–68, to even the best-of-three finals series at 1-1 in the 25th season of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (Cesafi) men’s basketball tournament at the Cebu Coliseum on Thursday, December 11, 2025.
The victory sends the series to a deciding Game 3, which will be held this Saturday, September 13, at the same venue.
Ricofer Sordilla led UC with 20 points, including three three-point shots from beyond the arc, while Jepherson Nonol added 12 points, also sinking three triples.
However, the court leadership of veteran Neon Chavez was credited as the guiding force behind the Webmasters’ success, as they controlled most of the match.
"Basically, we got Chavez because of his maturity. And I already told him this is your time, this is the reason why you're with UC. I trust him so much," said UC head coach Atty. Kern Sesante in a post-game interview.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Webmasters were still on top by four, 60-56, but the Green Lancers, behind Paul John Taliman, Ivan Clark Alsola, and Kent Salarda, launched a furious rally to snatch the lead, 65-62, with 5:09 remaining in the final canto.
But Sordilla, who split his two free throws a few minutes after Chavez completed his own charity shots, knotted the count at 65-all with 4:14 left in the ballgame.
It still wasn’t enough, the triggerman from Toledo City knocked down a three-pointer, which was quickly followed by another three from Chavez, allowing UC to stretch their lead again to 71–65 with 3:54 left.
Despite this, the Lancers never gave up easily. Instead, Raul Gentallan, the hero of UV's Game One victory, buried a triple that trimmed the lead to 71–68 with 2:33 remaining in the final canto.
It seemed that UC's rhythm faltered for a moment when Joseph Arth Nalos could not handle the pressure and missed both of his free throws.
However, in the ensuing sequence, Nalos recovered and made up for his misses with a big three for a 74–68 lead down to 1:34 seconds left.
And with Chavez directing the tempo, the Webmasters finally secured the win, a victory that coach Sesante did not expect after they missed five free throws in a row during the crucial stretch. (JBM)