UV, UC PREPARE FOR CESAFI FINAL
With a history between the teams, UV, UC look to etch another record in Cesafi records when they face each other in the finals of the men’s basketball competition
The University of the Visayas Green Lancers has been a dominant team since the start of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) and the University of Cebu Webmasters has always played spoiler.
Both teams, armed with different goals, will face each other in the championship of the Cesafi finals, which starts on Wednesday at the Cebu Coliseum.
But who will dominate the best-of-three finals series? In the 2010 Finals, the Green Lancers was on the cusp of winning an unprecedented 10th straight Cesafi men’s basketball title, but the Webmasters turned to their center Junemar Fajardo to turn things around for them.
Fajardo, who was then a scrawny pivot, sank a difficult undergoal stab against the tough defense of the Lancers to deny UV the 10th straight title.
In 2011, the Southwestern University Cobras (SWU) was coached by now UC coach Yayoy Alcoseba. Although a multi-titled coach, Alcoseba was itching to win his first Cesafi title with SWU.
But UC would not have any of it and beat SWU for the title.
This year, UV looks to etch another record in Cesafi history as UV head coach Gary Cortes will try to win UV’s 14th crown. And should he succeed, it will be his first back-to-back title. And it will be UC’s goal to spoil that once more for UV as they try make life hard for the defending champions.
A testament to UC’s determination to win it all this season was their game last Saturday against the University of San Jose-Recoletos Jaguars.
In 2010, when they last faced each other in the finals, UC was banking on Fajardo or Brian Heruela, who led the Webmasters to its two Cesafi titles.
This time around, UC will be counting on Frederick Elombi, the shifty Cameroonian center who led UC through 12 elimination round games, and who averages 23.3 points and 14.6 rebounds in 14 games, Garciano Puerto, who proved unstoppable in the semifinal wins over USJ-R and Justine Dacalos, the hero of the do-or-die match and the Webmasters starting guard, who usually provides the hassles and the intangibles at the backcourt.
And there’s Alcoseba, the fiery coach who could push his players beyond their limit, who proved he still has tricks up his sleeve.
UV coach Gary Cortes knew that he would be in for a tough fight as Alcoseba also has an axe to grind against Cortes and the Lancers, who were the main reasons the SWU Cobras were eliminated in the semifinal round last year.
But it takes more than that to beat UV.
The Lancers defeated UC in their two meetings in the elimination round, 71-62, last Aug. 13 and 65-62 last Sept. 10.
UV has a stopper for Elombi, their Liberian Bassieru Sackor, who might not be as tall and skilled as the Cameroonian counterpart, but could rebound and be a tough inside presence for the Green Lancers.
Besides Sackor’s offensive production, the Lancers have the deadly backcourt combination of Rey Suerte, Sheldon Gahi, Tristan Albina and Joshue Segumpan, who combined for 39.2 points, 11.7 assists and 6.6 assists per game for UV, as well as a productive frontline squad made up of Monic Soliva, Jerome Napao, Jayson Balabag, Ted Saga and Michael Maestre, who produced 41.2 points, 29.3 rebounds and 3.2 blocks a night.
UV also enjoyed a slight advantage in rebounds, 48.0 percent to 46.7; in assists, 21.5 to 18; and blocks, 5.5 to 5.3.
UC pulls 14.5 steals per game to 13.6 of UV.
In all of its 13 games, UV scored an average of 85 points per game that put them as the No.2 team in teams of points made. They are No. 2 in defense, allowing opponents an average of 68 points a game, while UC is third with 75 points made and 70.0 points allowed.