COLEGIO Sta. Ana de Victorias (CSAV) may just fulfill its dream of winning this year’s men’s Negros Occidental Private Schools Sports Cultural Educational Association (Nopsscea) college basketball if its 75-52 domination of University of St. La Salle in Sunday's semifinal is the gauge.
Coach John Imperio may have sprinkled a touch of magic to the Titans who played superbly to the challenge. A loss could have ended their season and its costly preparation gone to waste.
CSAV finished fourth (4-3) in the elimination round while the Stingers (5-2) are in third spot. University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos (UNO-R) lost its edge of a clean 7-0 slate after losing to erstwhile rival and longest-streaking champion STI West Negros University (6-1) in the other semi- finals game at UNO-R gym.
The Mustangs will wait with a twice-to-beat advantage in the finals while the Rams will try to repeat over the Titans on Saturday, December 17, at 3:30 p.m. The winner will challenge STI WNU on December 18 and in case of play-offs, December 29.
Imperio, who took the helm of CSAV basketball program earlier this year, has lifted the Titans in the top four for the first time since joining Nopsscea. Ironically, Imperio has won over USLS, the team he once coached during his younger days.
He was a former WNC Mustang, and will most likely face his alma mater if he survived UNO-Recoletos, which he once mentored the Rams, too.