Lancers overcome Jaguars to draw first blood in finals
Rey Anthony Suerte and Jafet Claridad came up with bigtime 3-pointers in the crucial stretch to help the University of the Visayas (UV) escape with a nervewracking 78-74 win in Game 1 of the bestof-three collegiate division finals of the 18th Cebu Schools Athletics Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) men's basketball tournament at the Cebu Coliseum last night.
Suerte and Claridad connived for 29 points, Bassieru Sackor had 18 while Jancork Cabahug came up with huge 16 points for the Lancers, who could fulfill their grandslam dream if they score a repeat over the Jaguars in Game 2 scheduled at 6 p.m. tomorrow.
The Jaguars actually got off to a flying 14-3 start behind the hot hands of reigning Seniors MVP Jaybie Mantilla and Fletcher Galvez but Jancork Cabahug, Jafet Claridad and Liberian import Bassieru Sackor carried the fight for UV with finesse to pull the Lancers within just a hairline, 30-31, in the early goings of the second period.
After Rey Suerte came out of the freezer to bank a 3-pointer that tied the count for the first time at 33-all, the Jaguars quickly restored a 39-33 edge but the Lancers countered with a 9-0 blitz to close the first half on top by three, 42-39.
The two protagonists figured in a see-saw battle in the third canto but the Lancers held on to a shaky 59-55 lead going into the last 10 minutes of play.
The thrilling match reached its boiling point when Mantilla canned a triple to square the count at 70-70 but Suerte quickly replied with a long 3-trey to put the Lancers back on top,73-70, with 3:31 left to play.
The crowd again roared in great delight when RJ Dinolan evened the score at 74-all but Claridad played the fireman's role by burying a crucial triple that gave UV a 77-74 breather with only 1:29 to go in the game.
After missed attempts by the Jaguars, Sackor split his charities with only 2.4 seconds remaining and that was all UV needed to wrap up the match
Meanwhile, in the knockout match for third place, the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors splendidly battled back from a 25-point deficit in the second half, then opened the overtime period with an 8-0 bang on the way to an emphatic 103-96 win over the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters.
While the Warriors rejoiced with their monumental triumph, the loss punctuated what had been a disappointing season for the Webmasters.
From a strong title contender racing to an 8-0 start, UC's world came tumbling down after it suffered a shocking loss at the hands of the then winless Cebu Institute of Technology- University (CIT-U) Wildcats.
The Webmasters were never the same again, dropping two more games to finish the double round elimination only at No.3 behind the Jaguars and the Lancers.
They were eventually booted out in the finals race by the twice-to-beat Lancers.