Games today
(Cebu Coliseum)
HIGH SCHOOL
5:00 p.m. – Ateneo de Cebu vs. UV
6:30 p.m. – CEC vs. UC
WHICH teams will make it to the championship round of the 16th Cesafi juniors basketball tournament?
Will it be the gritty University of the Visayas (UV) Baby Lancers, who have risen from controversy and now stand on the cusp of a trip to the finals? Or will it be the mighty Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles whose three-year grip of the league’s top spot appears to be on the brink of collapse?
Or will it be either upstarts University of Cebu (UC) Baby Webmasters or the Cebu Eastern College (CEC) Dragons, both of whom have fought hard to get to this point?
The answers will be made known today in the final day of the semifinals when the three-time defending champions Magis Eagles take on the Baby Lancers while the Baby Webmasters battle the Dragons.
UV currently has the inside track on a spot in the best-of-three finals as they tote a clean 2-0 win-loss card in this single round-robin semifinals, which awards the finals berths to the two top finishers. However, a huge hurdle stands in their way in the face of the Magis Eagles, who at 1-1, must also get a win to boost their chances of defending their crown for the fourth straight season.
Ateneo de Cebu one-upped UV earlier this season with a huge 74-45 rout in a topsy-turvy game that saw Baby Lancers Ivan Maata and JJ Rosete get slapped with suspensions due to various infractions.
This sets the stage for what is expected to be an emotionally charged game between the two bitter rivals, which last met in the finals of the 2014 season.
Meanwhile, UC and CEC will tangle with both teams raring to get back on track after suffering losses on Sunday. UC’s finals bid got derailed by UV, 59-64, while CEC got blown out by Ateneo de Cebu, 37-64. UC stands at 1-1 while CEC has yet to get a win in this round.