Top Cebu teams to slug it out in Saint Bernard Fiesta caging

For the fourth time in five years, a surefire blockbuster hardcourt action heads back to Saint Bernard in Southern Leyte with the staging of the St. Isidore Parish Fiesta Invitational Cup 2017 on May 27-29 at the town's gymnasium.

Living up to its tagline 'The Place Where Champions Meet', Cebu's top collegiate ballclubs led by reigning Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) champions University of the Visayas Green Lancers will fight it out for supremacy in the three-day joust that offers a total of P260,000 in cash prize.

The Lancers will have their hands full against the Southwestern UniversityPhinma Cobras, University of San Carlos Warriors, University of Southern Philippines Foundation Panthers and the University of Cebu Webmasters who are now under the tutelage of legendary coach Raul 'Yayoy' Alcoseba.

The five contenders will play in a single round robin format. The top two teams will then clash for the title in a winner-take-all affair.

The champion will take home a P100,000 bounty, while the second and third placers will pocket P70,000 and P50,000, respectively. Nonwinners will receive a consolation prize of P20,000 each.

That is on top of the free hotel accommodation, meals and transportation provided by the generous organizers led by Saint Bernard LGU under the dynamic flagship of Mayor Manuel O. Calapre and St. Isidore Parish priest Rev. Fr. Joselito C. Catubig.

"With the spirit of joy and thanksgiving, we are holding this intercollegiate basketball tournament to make the celebration of our annual patronal fiesta more meaning and memorable," said Catubig who is spearheading this yearly hoopla hand in hand with highly esteemed coach and league organizer Van Halen Puray Parmis since 2013.

"We want to showcase that basketball is alive and kicking in this far-flung area of Southern Leyte with a program that is consonance with the broad vision of our Philippine sports officials for a genuine sports development up to the grassroots level," Parmis said.

Now on its fourth edition, the tournament takes pride for being the biggest sporting spectacle to be held in Leyte, giving the Leyteños a taste of firstclass and highly entertaining basketball show featuring the best cagers in the region.—