The UV Baby Lancers and coaching staff celebrate their victory with a group photo. Coach Ronald Bucao and the organizer Mark Anthony Ynoc (both holding the trophy) joined the team during the awarding ceremony. | Photo from Jun Pepito
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The University of the Visayas (UV) Baby Lancers showcased their dominance in the 5th San Remigio Properties Basketball Invitational Cup, decisively defeating the National Yi-Lan School of Taiwan, 83-66, in their championship match on Sunday, August 4, at the Cebu Coliseum.
Jhunrel Dagatan paved the way for UV, lighting up the scoreboard with 22 points, grabbing nine rebounds, and adding three steals, one block, and one assist to his impressive stat line.
John Dela Torre contributed 14 points and two rebounds, while Rhoderick Cambarijan recorded a solid double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Cian Abellana also made his presence felt with 11 points.
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For National Yi-Lan, Chen Yen-Hsun’s double-double performance of 13 points and 10 rebounds, along with Yu Chen-Jui’s 12 points, wasn’t enough to overcome UV’s relentless defensive pressure.
The match saw early drama with nine lead changes and three deadlocks, but UV took control with a commanding 21-point lead, 60-39, by the second half and didn’t look back.
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The Baby Lancers’ defense was key, forcing 16 turnovers from Yi-Lan and converting them into 21 points, compared to just five points from Yi-Lan’s six forced turnovers.
The victory caps off a stellar year for UV under the guidance of head coaches Jun Pepito and Ronald Bucao before the Cebu Schools Athletics Foundation, Inc. (Cesafi) starts this September.
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Their achievements include winning the gold medal at the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CVIRAA), becoming regional champions of the Pilipinas Super League (PSL), and representing Central Visayas in the Palarong Pambansa.
In the battle for third in the 5th San Remigio Properties Basketball Invitational Cup, the University of Cebu (UC) Baby Webmasters triumphed over the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) Magis Eagles with a 60-51 victory.
Jake Yong and Carlo Salgarino were instrumental, scoring 12 and 10 points respectively, with Salgarino also grabbing eight rebounds. Stephen Pagalan added nine points and five boards, but Jelomar Rota’s 14-point effort wasn’t enough to secure third place for SHS-AdC.