USC, UV forge championship showdown in Cesafi men’s basketball

THE COLLEGIATE showdown that many Cebuano basketball fans have been dying to see has finally been realized.
This after the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors and the University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers bested their respective opponents in the final day of the round-robin semifinal round in the 15th Cesafi men’s basketball tournament Sunday night at the Cebu Coliseum.
The Warriors fought off the upset-eager University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars, 86-81, while the Lancers blew away the defending champions Southwestern University (SWU) Cobras, 74-59.
USC finished the round with a clean 3-0 (win-loss) slate while UV ended up with a 2-1 record, thus setting the stage for a slam-bang, best-of-five series for all the marbles which starts Oct. 11.
USC’s Cameroonian reinforcement Shooster Olago had a monster game of 38 points and 20 rebounds spiced up with two assists and two steals while Nico Magat came off the bench and scored 11. Reliable power forward Charles Pepito had his usual double-double of 10 points and 10 boards.
USC went through some harrowing moments before getting the sweep as USJ-R was intent on pulling off an upset to boost its chances of gaining a finals berth.
And the Jaguars nearly got one as Jaybie Mantilla kept the team in the thick of the fight with a sizzling third-period shooting spree that saw the rookie can three three-point bombs in a row – part of a 14-point performance during that stretch – that tied the game at 61-all heading to the last frame.
The Jaguars eventually grabbed the lead, 75-72, after a free throw by Miguel Gastador and a three-point play by RJ Dinolan with 4:48 to go.
But Olago had his mind set on making a return trip to the finals and went about getting his team there as he swished in two free throws and threw down a two-handed slam to put the Warriors ahead, 78-75.
USJ-R kept the pressure up and pulled to within two, 80-82, after an under-goal stab by Kevin Villafranca with 1:04 remaining.
USC was quick to respond as they found a streaking Olago who sank a lay-up to raise the lead back to four. After Mantilla split his charities, Ian Tagapan put the win on ice for USC as he fearlessly drove down the lane and banked in a lay-up to push the lead up to five, 86-81, with 31.5 ticks left on the clock.
USC’s defense held strong and kept USJ-R from scoring until the final buzzer.
USJ-R got 26 points from Villafranca and 23 points, eight rebounds and two steals from Mantilla.
RD Dinolan added 15 markers for the Jaguars, who must now contend with the Cobras for third place and a spot in the Philippines Collegiate Champions League qualifiers in Ormoc City, Leyte.
In the other semis game, Franz Arong led UV with 16 points, including nine in the fourth when he made three consecutive three-point bombs.
In the juniors’ division, Beirn Laurente sank in a putback with no time remaining to lift the UV Baby Lancers past the USC Baby Warriors, 57-55, and claim the third-place trophy.