THE University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors lived up to their billing as the “title-favorites” heading to the new season of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) men’s basketball tournament as they earned the championship in the Bogo City Mayor’s Cup Preseason Basketball Tournament with a clinical 71-59 win over the University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers on Saturday night at the Bogo City Sports Complex.
The victory allowed the Warriors to build some momentum heading to their season-opening tiff with the hobbled defending champions Southwestern University Cobras this Sunday at the Cebu Coliseum.
The win also earned the wards of head coach Britt Reroma the whopping P80,000 cash prize. UV settled for P60,000.
The game was close in the first as the Warriors were up by just three, 16-13.
But USC suddenly found their rhythm and peppered UV’s porous defense with bucket after bucket and closed the half ahead by 10, 37-27.
And though the Lancers tried to rally in the second, the Warriors had an answer every single time as veterans Nico Magat, Charles Pepito, last season’s Mythical Five member Victor Rabat and Cameroonian Shooster Olago made timely baskets.
Magat, who was named as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, paced the winners with 19 points while Olago and Rabat each had 16 markers.
Charles Pepito also added 14.
Olago also got the Sportsmanship Award.
Josue Segumpan led the Lancers with 11 while Steve Akomo managed 10.
Meanwhile, the University of San Jose-Recoletos Jaguars bagged the third place trophy after they pummeled the University of Cebu Webmasters, 76-67.