Jr Jaguars, Panthers push finals to decider

Lyn Rose Denring (7) of the University of San Jose Recoletos (USJ-R) tears the defense being put up by Yanan Julia L. Sanchez (6) of Ateneo de Cebu in Game 2 of the CESAFI secondary girls volleyball finals at the USC gym. (CDN PHOTO/ JUNJIE MENDOZA)

There will be deciding Game 3s. And both will be played today!

The University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Baby Jaguars and the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Baby Panthers outlasted separate foes Saturday afternoon to stay alive in the best-of-three championship series of the CESAFI secondary volleyball tournament at the University of San Carlos (USC) Main Gym.

Backed by a crowd who was non-existent in Game 1, the Baby Jaguars beat the defiant Sacred Heart School-Ateneo De Cebu (SHS-ADC) Magis Eagles, 25-19, 25-18, 30-28 to even the girls finals series at 1-all.

USJ-R was on full force yesterday as they moved the collegiate volleyball practice from afternoon to morning to lend moral support to their high school counterparts who were fighting for their tournament lives.

And the move paid off as the inspired Baby Jaguars got off to a fast, 17-12 blitz capped off by the three straight points of Tagum City hitter Krizzia Caasi.

The Magis Eagles tried to stop the bleeding by calling for a timeout, but the trick did little to help their cause.

It was more of the same in the second set as the USJ-R twin towers of Maybelle Cabaron and Janine Alferez Angob manned the team’s sizzling offense and solid defense.

Ateneo however, refused to go down into the night without a fight as they tied the score at 28-all in the bruising third set.

But the 17-year old Cabaron proved too hot to handle for the Ateneans as the USJ-R hotshot scored the final two points including the game winning kill and extend the final to a cardiac decider.

“Our defense was really good and the USJ-R crowd gave this team hope. It was really big. Our mindset coming into the game is just simple. It’s either you win or you learn. Today we won. We will do our best in Game 3,” said USJ-R head coach Roldan Potot.

Meanwhile, having a nice breakfast can sometimes spell the winning difference such as in the case of the USP-F boys who also won a brutal three-setter against the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors to ewxtend their finals battle to a decider.

In the highest-scoring game of the season, the Baby Panthers outwitted the Baby Warriors, 25-18, 31-29, 25-18.

“Nindot ang kaon nila karon. Nilat-ang baka. Maayo ta mukusog ilang dinuwaan sa court ron,” USPF mentor Cecil Jotojot told CDN just before the game.

And the Panthers delivered as they surged to a, 20-13 start punctuated by Edmar Malata’s ferocious spike that tore the Warriors’ tight defense in the first set.

Less than 24 hours after suffering a heart-breaking five-set loss to USC’, Malata step up big time as he lighted up the offense for the Panthers in the second set, scoring the game’s last four points to rally the Panthers from a, 27-29 hole to a, 31-29 victory for a 2-0 lead.

The 17-year old Malata and Pol Salvador then combined for 13 hits in the third to seal the Baby Panthers’ win.

Game 3 between the Panthers and the Warriors is slated at 1:30 p.m. today while the Jaguars and the Magis Eagles tangle at 3 P.m.