Baby Lancers crush UC in marquee high school showdown

The UV Baby Lancers sing their school hymn after beating UC in their game in the Cesafi on Saturday. | CDN Digital / Glendale Rosal

CEBU CITY, Philippines—The University of the Visayas (UV) Baby Lancers dominated the University of Cebu (UC) Baby Webmasters 75-50 in their highly anticipated matchup in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (Cesafi) high school basketball tournament on Saturday.

It was a statement win for last season’s runners-up, who were expected to have a tough battle against the bigger and unbeaten Baby Webmasters.

The game on Saturday, held at the Cebu Coliseum, featured eight lead changes and three ties, with the Baby Lancers only holding a narrow 34-28 lead at halftime.

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However, they regrouped in the second half, finding their rhythm beyond the arc. UV hit 13 of 41 three-point attempts, while UC struggled with just one of 20 from deep.

Decisive Win

The Baby Lancers extended their lead to as much as 27 points, 73-46, in the final quarter of their Cesafi game to seal a decisive win.

Christophelcian Abellana led UV with a game-high 19 points, along with six rebounds, two steals, and one assist.

Roderick Cambarijan contributed a strong double-double, finishing with 11 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and one steal.

Notably, John Dela Torre broke free from a scoring slump, rebounding from a two-point outing in last week’s win over UCLM to finish with 11 points, eight boards, three assists, and two steals.

On the other side, UC struggled offensively, with only one player reaching double figures, a stark contrast to their previous unbeaten run. Dio Gabriel Gonzales was the highest scorer for UC, tallying nine points.