The UV Baby Green Lancers and coaching staff.| By Glendale Rosal
CEBU CITY, Philippines— The University of the Visayas (UV) Baby Green Lancers outplayed the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (Cesafi) high school basketball champions, the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) Magis Eagles, after winning game one, 62-54, in their Best-of-Three finals series on Monday, December 11, 2023, at the Cebu Coliseum.
It was a stark reminder for the Magis Eagles, who were swept in their 2017 finals series against their old rivals.
This time, Roderick Cambarijan pulled the trigger for UV after scoring a game-high 23 points.
His teammate Ismael Coldura contributed 12 points, and John Dela Torre chipped in nine markers in UV’s win against the favored Magis Eagles.
None of the Magis Eagles’ players finished with double-digit points.
Their team captain, Jared Bahay, struggled offensively, only yielding nine points due to UV’s tough defense from both ends of the floor.
Alden Cainglet, RJ Dacalos, and Lars Fjellvang each scored eight points in their defeat.
The Baby Green Lancers got off to a great start, finishing the first period with a nine-point lead, 18-11.
However, the defending champions warmed up in the second period after unloading an 18-9 run to grab a two-point cushion, 29-27, relying on the offensive efforts of Cainglet, Jelo Mar Rota, and Arturo Teruel.
UV quickly responded with a 5-0 scoring blitz from Coldura, Kent Castro, and Jhunrel Dagatan to finish the first half with a three-point lead, 32-29, and never looked back.
They went on to stretch their lead to eight, 37-29, but the Magis Eagles fought back, cutting the deficit to just four, 40-44, heading into the final canto.
The Magis Eagles found themselves in trouble midway through the final period when UV stretched their lead to nine points, 53-44, after Roderick Cambarijan and John Dela Torre connived in a 5-0 run.
Bahay breathed life into the Magis Eagles after hitting back-to-back treys that pulled his team within three points behind UV, 50-53, with 3:18 left in the game.
However, Cambarijan and Coldura hammered the last nail in the Magis Eagles’ coffin after leading another scoring run that resulted in a 10-point lead, 60-50, with time winding down.
SHS-AdC will try to tie the series on Wednesday, December 13, at 5:30 p.m., to force a rubber match.
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