ONCE again, Braebon Ali Thompson turned in an impressive performance to power the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Wildcats to a 68-53 victory over the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Panthers in the collegiate basketball tournament of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) Season 26 on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, at the Cebu Coliseum.
The Fil-British recruit from Davao, Thompson exploded for 19 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, and two blocked shots to lead the Wildcats to their third win in five games.
John Eimrod Rodulfa provided solid support for Thompson with 16 points, five rebounds, five steals, and five assists.
The Wildcats, who are aiming to end their playoff drought, found an opening in the middle of the third quarter and took advantage of it to pull away.
Peter John Peteros scored 16 points and John Anthony Aligway added 10 to lead the Panthers, who dropped to 1-4.
Baby Warrios drub Titans
Meanwhile, in the high school division, the San Carlos School of Cebu (SCSC) Baby Warriors snatched their second win by blasting newcomer Paref-Springdale Titans, 80-65.
The Baby Warriors of coach Arnel Salado got off to a slow start, falling behind 5-12 in the
first quarter. However, they found the right combination and immediately launched a 14-7 run to tie the game at 19-all.
From there, SCSC took control of the game and never gave the Titans another chance until the final buzzer.
With the win, San Carlos improved its record to 2-2, while Paref-Springdale remained winless after four games.
Ahron Andrei Casul and John Glicerd Gaviola led the Baby Warriors with 13 points each.
Anton Lorenzo Gratones played well for the Titans, registering a triple-double performance of 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists, along with five steals and two blocks.
Some of his teammates failed to provide enough support in the scoring department.
Richie Sarmiento II finished with 17 points, while Louie Arreglo II had 10 for the defeated Titans of coach Jax Bautista. / JBM