LAST year’s runners-up University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters took a masterful victory by routing the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Panthers, 60-47, in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (Cesafi) men’s basketball tournament at the Cebu Coliseum, Saturday, October 12, 2024.
After taking a 20-9 lead in the first quarter, the Webmasters never allowed the Panthers to take the front seat and stretched their advantage to as much as 17 points, 60-43, halfway through the fourth enroute to claiming the top spot in the standings with a 3-0 card.
Though no player from both benches scored in double figures, three-point specialist Dannie Boy Lapis finished with nine points for UC and was billed as best player of the game.
Webmasters coach Kern Sesante has once again proven the effectiveness of his five-man sub as they controlled the affair until the final buzzer.
The best the Panthers could do in the stretch was to chop down the lead to 10, 57-47, but were never the same again as the going got tougher.
USPF absorbed its second loss in three games and shared the fourth spot with the UP-Cebu Fighting Maroons and Cebu Roosevelt Memorial Colleges (CRMC) Mustangs in the overall standings.
In the high school division, favorites University of Cebu-Main Baby Webmasters and Cebu Eastern College (CEC) Dragons secured their fifth win in similar fashion when they thrashed their respective opponents.
The Baby Masters eked out ang convincing 66-48 win over the CRMC Baby Mustangs, while the Dragons spewed fire over the University of San Carlos Baby Warriors, 79-53.
Carlo Sagarino and Jhe Syx Romanos led the Baby Webmasters with 14 and 10 points, respectively.
CEC, on the other hand, leaned on its flashy guard Lybron James Lamo and three others to score the big win over the Baby Warriors.
Lamo finished with 15 points, while Louie Estorba and Reyvene Arobo had 12 markers each and Jay Gonzales added 11, most of those from the shaded lane, for the Dragons.
Defending champions Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles also clawed UC-Lapulapu Mandaue, 82-67, in the other juniors match.
After trailing by three, 36-39, near the end of the first half, the Magis Eagles began sizzling in the third canto as Froilan Maglasang, Coriantum Cabantog, Jelomar Rota, and Aldin Cainglet put their hands together for a big run to secure a 59-53 lead.
From thereon, there was no stopping the Magis Eagles who claimed their third win in four games. UCLM sank deeper into the cellar with a 1-4 slate.
Maglasang scattered 17 points, three of those from beyond the arc, while Cabantog and Cainglet chipped in 15 and 12 points, respectively.
Lars Fjellvang, who pulled down 13 rebounds, added 11 points, while Rota had 10.
Justine Pamas and Neil Mallorca banged in 14, and 13 points, respectively, for UCLM.
CIT-U upsets UV
A rejuvenated Cebu Institute of Technology - University (CIT-U) Junior Wildcats pulled off a shocking win by edging the highly-favored University of the Visayas (UV) Baby Lancers, 65-61, on Sunday, October 13, 2024.
Kieff Russel Suarez, Daniel Chase Mapula, and Ryko John Batuigas combined for 52 points as CIT-U scored one of the major upsets this season.
The Junior Wildcats, under the mentorship of Axel Rabaya and his deputy Floyd Taboada, took advantage of the absence of UV top gunner Roderick Cambarijan Jr. who was sidelined after scoring six points in the first quarter due to injury.
CIT-U was trailing 37-48 at the half, but the triumvirate of Suarez, Mapula, and Batuigas suddenly rose to the occasion and tied the count at 54-all, to end the third quarter.
A see-saw battle then ensued in the last frame with the lead changing four times, but without Cambarijan, the Lancers’ offense totally fell flat in the crucial stretch.
Suarez had 18 points for the Wildkittens. Mapula finished with 17 markers and 14 rebounds, while Batuigas also made 17 notches and 11 rebounds.
Christophelcian Abellana fired 17 points in UV’s first loss in 4 starts. / JBM