UC, Ateneo de Cebu dispute Cesafi juniors basketball crown in deciding Game 3 today
Game today: (Friday)
Cebu Coliseum
Finals, Game 3
3 p.m. – SHS-Ateneo de Cebu vs UC
The intriguing match-up between two schools separated by miles of metropolis and two shades of blue comes to a head today (Friday) as the two-time defending champions Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles put it all on the line against the upstart challengers University of Cebu (UC) Baby Webmasters in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the Cesafi juniors finals over at what is expected to be a packed-to-the-rafters Cebu Coliseum.
While many initially foresaw this series to be yet another coronation for the mighty Magis Eagles, it has been anything but a cakewalk as the Baby Webmasters have fought tooth-and-nail to bring the title back to Sanciangko, a place that the high school crown has not resided in since 2008.
The Baby Webmasters were halfway there after pulling off the mother of all upsets in Game One, 73-63. And they were poised to go all the way in Game Two as well until Errol Pastor turned their lights off with his scintillating fourth period performance that carried the Magis Eagles to the series-tying 63-53 victory.
Pastor ended up with 23 points – 12 coming in the final frame – along with 19 rebounds and four steals.
As well as Ateneo de Cebu played in Game Two, head coach Rommel Rasmo remains unsatisfied as he saw significant room for improvement, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
“We played better than we did in Game One but we need to work harder on defense” said the Magis Eagles mentor. “If we can get defensive stops, then we can run and get easy baskets, which is what happened in the fourth period of Game Two.”
But UC is expected to have plenty up its sleeves today as it tries to find ways to neutralize Ateneo de Cebu’s transition attack and at the same time, rev its potent offensive engine back up. The key will be diminutive but full-hearted guard Gelmart Umpad – UC’s unquestioned court general – who was shacked to just two points in Game Two, after scoring 14, including six in crunchtime of Game One.
Sweet-shooting wingman Froilan Mangubat, the team’s leading scorer with an average of 20.5 points in the finals, must also stick to his guns if the Webmasters are to complete the biggest upset in recent years in Cebu’s premier inter-school league.