The University of Cebu Webmasters gather around coach Yayoy Alcoseba during one of their practice sessions at the Cebu City Sports Institute. The Webmasters take on archrival University of the Visayas in the semis on Saturday.
CDN PHOTO/Brian J. Ochoa
UC to come out with everything it has against UV
A lot has changed in the past few weeks for the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters.
At one point, they were soaring high, riding the crest of an eight-game unbeaten streak.
Then they shockingly lost to the basement-dwelling Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Wildcats and the bottom promptly fell out.
Now, the Webmasters find their backs against the wall versus a University of the Visayas (UV) squad that went undefeated in the second round and then, capped off that six-game sweep with a dominant romp of UC.
After being pegged by pundits as a team likely to find itself in the finals once again, UC’s season boils down to one game in the Final Four on Saturday, and whether or not they’re capable of overcoming the Green Lancers’ twice-to-beat advantage.
“We’re preparing as if it’s our last game,” was head coach Yayoy Alcoseba’s succinct answer when asked about his squad’s mindset heading to the semifinals.
Expected to lead Alcoseba’s squad on the local side is former National University guard Darrell Shane Menina to deliver the goods.
Like the fiery coach, Menina is also looking to give it his all on Saturday.
“We’ll give it our all since that will be our last game if ever we lose and none of us wants that to happen. If we’re able to extend that series, then we’ll focus on the next game. But for now, we’re focused on Saturday,” said the flashy guard, who admitted that he and the rest of the team were overconfident when they lost to CIT-U a few weeks ago.
That loss created a ripple effect on the Webmasters as they went on to lose two of their last three games to fall to their third seed.
“We were overconfident. We learned a crucial lesson to never underestimate an opponent, no matter what their standing is,” Menina said.
The University of San Jose-Recoletos and the University of San Carlos make up the other semis pairing with the Jaguars holding a twice-to-beat edge over the Warriors.