Steve Cedrick Akomo of the University of the Visayas sends his defender tumbling to the floor as he tries to drive into the lane in yesterday’s action of the Cesafi men’s basketball tournament at the Cebu Coliseum. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)
Powerhouse squads University of the Visayas (UV) and University of San Carlos (USC) ascended to the top of the standings after they throttled their respective opponents in the 15th Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) men’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Cebu Coliseum.
The UV Green Lancers, owners of the most titles in league history, won their third game in a row with a clinical 77-62 dismantling of the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters.
The USC Warriors, on the other hand, blasted the returning University of Southern Philippines-Foundation (USP-F) Panthers, 88-64, for their second win in as many games.
Batang Gilas member Leonard Santillan led the Lancers’ attack with 13 points and seven rebounds while Vincent Mendoza, back in the squad after recovering from an ACL tear, added 12 markers.
In spite of their undersized frontline, the Webmasters only trailed by nine in the final frame, 50-59, but the Lancers finally asserted themselves with a 14-2 blast capped by a three-pointer by Mendoza that pushed their lead to 73-52.
Justine Dacalos was the lone double-digit scorer for UC (1-2), with 16.
It was the same story for the Warriors as they too had to scramble late to pull away from the resilient Panthers, who at one point, actually led by 10, 16-6, early in the game. But after catching up and taking the lead at halftime, 34-28, the Warriors stepped up their game and rode the coattails of Cameroonian, Shooster Olago, who dominated down low and fueled USC to the lopsided win.
Olago finished with a solid double-double of 26 points and 13 rebounds peppered with two steals while Ian Tagapan aided the cause with 13 markers.
Meanwhile, in the juniors division, two-time defending champions Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles won their second straight game, 72-47, over the Cebu Institute of Technology-University Wildkittens. Andrew Velasco scored 13 while Patrick Yu and Renzo Calumpang had 10 apiece.
The USP-F Baby Panthers also barged into the win column as they routed the UC Baby Webmasters, 93-68.