CRMC Roosevelts face acid test against USC Warriors
Red Lions clash with Bulldogs; Trailblazers take on Baby Lancers
A very exciting and highly entertaining hardcourt action will again take place in the City of Bogo in northern Cebu with teams from the CESAFI, NCAA, and UAAP colliding against each other in the Dodong Junie Basketball Invitational on February 26 at the Don Celestino Martinez Sports and Cultural Center.
In the 4 p.m curtain raiser, the City of Bogo Science and Arts Academy (CBSAA) Trailblazers will tackle the University of the Visayas (UV) Baby Lancers.
Mentored by Leode Garcia, the Trailblazers breezed through a record-setting campaign in last year’s CESAFI season wherein they became the first ever guest team to complete a clean sweep in the elimination round. They eventually finished first runner-up after being swept by the Sacred Heart School Ateneo de Cebu (AdC) Magis Eagles in their best-of-three finals.
After the CBSAA-UV duel, the Cebu Roosevelt Memorial Colleges (CRMC), under the command of coach Paul Alelu Flores who powered the Consolacion Sarok Weavers to a historic back-to-back championships in the Pilipinas Super League (PSL) in 2022, will have its baptism of fire against the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors at 5:30 pm.
The match will serve as a litmus test for the Roosevelts, who will be seeing action as guest team in the 2023 CESAFI cage wars.
“We are happy to play against one of the big schools in Cebu who is also a part of the CESAFI. This will be a big test for our team and a barometer on what we need to improve on as part of our preparation for the next CESAFI season,” said Marc Malazarte, the team manager of both the CRMC and CBSAA.
As part of their massive buildup, the Roosevelts have inserted Sarok Weavers’ Paulo Dalumpines, Keaton Taburnal, Wes Malazarte, Kin Dayday, and Serg Alburo in their roster.
They also have CESAFI Juniors Mythical Five members Dale Otero and Jerome Arboiz of CBSAA in their fold as well as James Gelig, Jray Casinillo, and Redjee Recimiento of the Bogo City Bugoys in the PSL.
“I expect our boys to give their best shot since we will be playing in our hometown and in front of our bosses sir Victor Elliot Lepiten and sir Junie Martinez, who just celebrated his birthday. A win will also be a fitting gift for his all-out support to the team,” Malazarte continued.
In the nightcap of a scheduled triple-header, the San Beda Red Lions of NCAA will lock up horns with the National University (NU) Bulldogs of UAAP at 7 pm.
Presented by the city government of Bogo headed by mayor Carlo Martinez in partnership with Cebu Landmasters, tickets for the slambang show are priced at P20 for the general admission, P50 for the lower box, and P200 for the VIP section. —