Jaguars eye bounce back wins in collegiate, HS division games

Elmer Echavez (left) of USJ-R and Kent Joshua Cabanlit (right) of UP Cebu. | Photos from Sugbuanong Kodaker

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars will take center stage as both their collegiate and high school teams gear up for action in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (Cesafi) Season 24 basketball tournament on Thursday, October 10, at the Cebu Coliseum.

In the men’s division, the USJ-R Jaguars will face off against the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu Fighting Maroons at 6:45 p.m. Meanwhile, the USJ-R Baby Jaguars are set to battle the Don Bosco Technical College (DBTC) Greywolves at 5:15 p.m. in the high school division.

The Jaguars are looking to bounce back after a tough 58-76 loss against last season’s runners-up, the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters, on Sunday. That defeat dropped the Jaguars to a 1-2 record in the standings, adding pressure to tomorrow’s must-win game.

Team captain and leading scorer Elmer Echavez has been a consistent bright spot for USJ-R and will be key in their efforts to turn the tide against UP Cebu.

The Fighting Maroons, on the other hand, are coming off their first defeat of the season—a 71-78 loss to the Cebu Roosevelt Memorial College (CRMC) Mustangs on October 3. This was a stark contrast to their solid season opener, where they beat the CIT-U Wildcats, 74-64.

UP Cebu will rely heavily on their star forward, Kent Joshua Cabanlit, who has been both their leading scorer and top rebounder so far.

It remains to be seen whether their big man, Matthew Flores, will return to the lineup after suffering a leg injury in the fourth quarter of their Cesafi game against CRMC. Another factor for UP Cebu will be JZ Dizon, who will be facing his former team, USJ-R, in tomorrow’s matchup.

Baby Jaguars

In the high school division, the USJ-R Baby Jaguars (2-1) aim to recover from a close 70-73 loss to the University of the Visayas (UV) Baby Lancers.

They will look to use their size advantage over the smaller DBTC Greywolves (1-2), who are coming off a 55-78 blowout loss to the Cebu Eastern College (CEC) Dragons on October 5.

USJ-R will rely on a trio of key players—Jan Vince Oringo, Kyle Matthew Barrieta, and Jan Mark Toring—to lead them to victory against the Greywolves.

The stakes are high for both USJ-R squads as they seek to get back on track and secure crucial wins.