Baby Jaguars crush defending champion Magis Eagles in huge Cesafi shocker

The USJ-R Baby Jaguars whoop it up at midcourt after crushing SHS-AdC in Cesafi High School basketball on Thursday, at the Cebu Coliseum. | photo by Glendale Rosal

CEBU CITY, Philippines— The USJ-R Baby Jaguars opened their Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) high school basketball campaign with a stunning win over the defending champions, Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) Magis Eagles, 62-40, on Thursday, September 28, 2023, at the Cebu Coliseum.

The Baby Jaguars pounded the heavily favored Magis Eagles on all fronts, resulting in a 25-point lead 58-33, their biggest, in the waning minutes of the ballgame.

Surprisingly, the Baby Jaguars who had a dismal 2022 season led the game on the get-go.

Chan Benedict Brigoli and Ryan Justine Artis powered the Baby Jaguars with 16 points apiece. Archer Obra chipped in 10 points.

Meanwhile, reigning Cesafi high school finals MVP, Jared Bahay struggled in offense, scoring a forgettable 9 points in leading the Magis Eagles scoring. He was also in foul trouble with four personal fouls in the second half.

Josh Go and Froilan Maglasang added 6 and 4 markers for the Magis Eagles, respectively.

Rigid preparation

According to the Baby Jaguars head coach, Edito Salacut they’ve been preparing rigidly during the off-season. They added size to their roster which was evidently effective in guarding the painted area during the game, and in limiting the Magis Eagles to one point in the entire third period.

“Nag prepare gyud mi ug maayo. Anha nimo makita sa among depensa ug sa among size. Kung nakabantay sila, wala gyud mi niduwa ug mga pre-season tournament kay dili mi gusto ma scout among mga players,” Salacut told CDN Digital.

“Last season namo bati kaayo, murag duha ra mi kadaog ato. Pero karon, amo na gyud sigurohon nga nindot among mga duwa, ug usa na ni among daog sa Sacred Heart.”

The Baby Jaguars opened the game with a killer intent, sealing the first half with an eight-point cushion, 31-23.

They started the third period with a blistering 17-1 run to grab a 24-point cushion, 48-24. RJ Dacalos prevented an embarrassing shutout for the defending champions by splitting his charity shots.

In the final period, the Magis Eagles attempted a comeback with Bahay scoring five points to cut their deficit to 19, 31-50.

However, the Baby Jaguars doused cold water on the Magis Eagles’ comeback bid by unloading an, 8-2 bomb behind Brigoli and Artis to log their biggest lead, 58-33, in the final minutes of the fourth.    /rcg

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