Finals loss a motivation for UC to win Cesafi title next season, says Sesante
UC Webmasters men’s basketball team after Game 3 of their Cesafi Best-of-Three finals versus UV Green Lancers. | By Glendale Rosal
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters didn’t head straight into their dugout after losing Game 3, 41-60, of their Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (Cesafi) Season 23 men’s basketball tournament Best-of-Three finals series on Saturday evening, at the Cebu Coliseum.
Instead, the UC Webmasters of head coach Kernn Sesante stayed on their bench and watched their old rivals, the University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers, celebrate for winning their 15th Cesafi title.
For Sesante they were defeated but not broken. Staying on the court, while their opponents celebrate was one way of accepting defeat gracefully, while fueling motivation to become better next season.
UC may have finished as the first-runners-up, but they weren’t short of achieving feats this season.
UC had one of their best seasons in Cesafi history after achieving an 8-0 (win-loss) record in the elimination round. They went on to finish the elimination round as the No. 2 seed with their 9-1 card.
Besides that, UC was able to prove that UV was not an invincible team after inflicting the latter’s only loss in the entire Cesafi Season 23 after winning Game 1 of their finals series, 66-63, last December 12.
“We asked the entire team to stay during the awarding because we want this to fuel their hunger and motivation to win the title next year,” said Sesante.
“I want them to envision themselves wearing the gold medals and lifting the champion’s trophy next year. We take this defeat as our source of motivation to become better for next season.”
FUN, MEMORABLE SEASON
Despite falling short of winning the Cesafi title, Sesante didn’t regret anything, describing this season as fun and memorable.
“It was a fun and memorable season. We had a great time during the eliminations and the semifinals. It was worth it especially when we stopped UV’s winning streak during the finals,” Sesante explained.
“We weren’t just lucky to sustain games 2 and 3, maybe next year hopefully we can win the title because most members of our team will be intact. Still, I’m very happy for the guys for making this a very memorable season for giving their best. We just hope we can continue this momentum.”
He revealed that UC’s entire men’s basketball roster will remain intact for another run in the next Cesafi season with their eyes set on winning the title.
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