Kern Sesante. | Photo from Sugbuanong Kodaker
CEBU CITY, Philippines—The University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters head coach and lawyer Kern Sesante is poised for their highly anticipated third consecutive finals showdown against the University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (Cesafi) Men’s Basketball Tournament.
The Best-of-Three Finals showdown is set for Thursday, December 5, at the Cebu Coliseum, for Game 1.
Sesante has steered the Webmasters to an exceptional 8-0 record this season, marking a historic milestone in UC’s basketball program. Including their semifinals victory over the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars, they extended their winning streak to nine games.
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However, for Sesante, the ultimate objective lies ahead –preventing UV from achieving a prestigious three-peat and securing their 16th Cesafi championship.
The Green Lancers’ formidable legacy in Cebu basketball looms large, but the Webmasters are prepared for the challenge.
“This finals series will be different,” Sesante told CDN Digital.
“We’ve become more mature this time,” he said.
He highlighted the growth and cohesion of his squad, molded through nail-biting encounters. Their resilience was evident in a double-overtime thriller against the UP Cebu Fighting Maroons and the back-and-forth showdown in the semifinals against USJ-R.
“This team was tested in those close games against UP Cebu and USJ-R,” Sesante noted.
“We’re glad we closed out those games. We also had a very close game with UV earlier this season,” he said.
Despite their previous success—a stunning 57-55 victory over UV in their last matchup—Sesante knows that the Green Lancers will enter the finals with renewed hunger and determination.
“We’re thrilled to be back in the finals for the third straight time,” he shared. “We’re ready to give it another shot.”
Acknowledging the unpredictability of the finals, Sesante remains focused yet humble.
“I hope it will be another close game, but we really don’t know. Either way, we’ll be ready.”