The UC Baby Webmasters along with BPBL organizers pose for a group photo during the awarding ceremony of the tournament. | Contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines— The University of Cebu (UC) Baby Webmasters is upbeat to represent Cebu in the regional finals of the Batang Pilipino Basketball League (BPBL) Season 2 after ruling the recently concluded BPBL Tri-City leg under-18 category earlier this week at the Cebu Coliseum.
The Baby Webmasters defeated the University of the Visayas (UV) Baby Green Lancers in the championship game, 68-51, with Mikyle Lejarde leading the team with 15 points to secure the MVP plum last September 18, 2023.
UC Baby Webmasters excited to play in BPBL
For UC’s head coach Joever Samonte, they are excited and highly-motivated to compete in this nationwide basketball league.
“We’re very excited because it gives the team a chance to showcase their talents and skills in different levels in a different place away from our comfort zone,” Samonte told CDN Digital.
“It’s a great chance for us to meet new teams and players through competition in the regional finals. We’re already looking forward to it, especially playing in the BPBL National Finals,” he said.
READ: Region 7’s ANS girls hoops squad are the queens of BPBL grand finals in Manila
Cebu teams stamp class in tourney
It’s best remembered that Cebu-based teams stamped class in the inaugural year of the BPBL in 2022.
The Abellana National School (ANS) girls under-18 team won the national title in the national finals in Manila, while the Sambag 2 FBA basketball team placed first-runners-up in the boys under-18 division.
Besides their optimism to compete in the regional finals and national finals, Samonte and his team are also thankful to the opportunity they had in competing in the BPBL Tri-City leg, as it helps them gear up for the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) Season 2023.
READ: UP Cebu basketball squad gears up for Cesafi 2023
UC Baby Webmasters eye Cesafi wars
“BPBL was a very important competition for us because it helped us prepare for the upcoming Cesafi season. It helped me gauge the skill levels of my players to determine if they’re ready for bigger and more intense games in Cesafi. For me, this tournament gave us confidence and showed my players that we can do better in every game,” Samonte said.
Samonte also said that their BPBL title gave his team a huge morale boost heading into the Cesafi season.
Thus, he expects his players to be competitive in every game with their sights locked in to the Cesafi high school basketball title.
Besides UC, the University of San Carlos (USC) topped the under-13 category, while RonBucs of UV Baby Green Lancers coach Ronald Bucao ruled the U16 category of the BPBL Tri-City leg.
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