GRASSROOTS basketball’s most colorful rivalry comes to life once again as the University of the Visayas (UV) and Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu clash in the finals of the Cebu Youth Basketball League Summer League 2017.
In the Under-15 Division 1 semifinals held last weekend at the Ateneo de Cebu basketball courts along Mango Avenue, UV took control in the second period with a solid defensive stand that limited Don Bosco to just two points en route to a 50-38 victory.
Steve Nash Enriquez led UV with 12 points, all coming in the third when UV pulled away for good.
Standing opposite UV will be Ateneo de Cebu, which nipped the University of San Carlos (USC), 42-39.
Chico Chan proved to be the difference-maker in the tight match as he scored all nine of his points to help the Magis Eagles overturn a 27-31 deficit and come away with the win. Nicael Cabanero led Ateneo de Cebu in scoring with 10 points.
UV and Ateneo de Cebu will also tangle in the Under-12 Division 1 finals after they registered contrasting victories in the semifinals.
UV destroyed USC, 50-8, behind a balanced effort led by Daniel Padilla and Brian Toring, who scored 10 points each.
Ateneo de Cebu, though, had to sweat before pulling off a 40-39 win over Don Bosco.
UV is gunning for a repeat of its title-haul during the CYBL 2017 First Conference, where it won the Under-19, Under-16 and Under-13 championships.