UC Baby Webmasters teams and coaching staff pose for a group photo. | Contributed photo
Cebu City, Philippines—The University of Cebu (UC) Baby Webmasters clinched a nail-biting 63-60 victory over the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Baby Jaguars to claim the title of the ‘Mayor Carlo Villamor Cup Two-Day Fiesta League’ in Carmen, Cebu on Friday evening, August 16.
The Baby Webmasters, led by head coach Joever Samonte, earned sweet revenge against the Baby Jaguars, who had beaten them in last year’s CESAFI Season 23 battle-for-third.
This time, UC took home the title and the P25,000 prize.
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“We prepared for USJ-R, and our practice really paid off, even though they had the size advantage. We pressured them with man-to-man defense, and that was the key to our win. The team stuck to the game plan, especially on defense,” said Samonte.
Samonte commended Lordwyn Jake Ycong for the latter’s tough defense and for leading the team in scoring.
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He finished with 11 points, while Carlo Salgarino and Burj Gabriel Lapu-os, both upcoming rookies for UC in the Cesafi chipped in nine points apiece while fellow newcomer Keith David Buot added seven points.
UC’s strong defense played a crucial role in their victory as they gear up for CESAFI Season 24, set to start on September 21.
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Former Cebu Eastern College (CEC) standout Caelan Mack contributed seven points for USJ-R.
This win marks UC’s third outside tournament title this year. They previously won the Batang Pilipino Basketball League (BPBL) Region 7 U18 crown and reached the semifinals of the national championships in Manila.
Earlier this month, they also dominated the ‘Municipality of Compostela Mayor’s Cup 2024’ in northern Cebu.
According to Samonte, he needs more tournaments prior to the Cesafi to further improve the chemistry of players who are mostly rookies. Five of his players from last year’s roster remain, while the rest are rookies.
“We still have time to play in more tune-up games. With so many new players, the more we play, the better we’ll gel as a team,” Samonte said.