The Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles will be making their way back to the grandest stage in all of juniors basketball.
This after the Magis eagles pulled away from the University of the Visayas (UV) Baby Lancers in the fourth period to emerge victorious, 84-74, in their winner-take-all Game 3 of the Cebu leg championships of the SM National Basketball Training Center on Sunday at the City Sports Club Cebu basketball court.
The win put Ateneo de Cebu in the national finals slated next month, where it will defend the national crown it won last year by defeating the vaunted San Beda Red Cubs.
Renzo Calumpang had the game of his life as he led the Eagles in scoring with 17 points, seven of which came in the pivotal fourth canto highlighted by two booming three-pointers.
It was a game that neither team wanted to lose as both the Eagles nor the Baby Lancers were inclined to grant no quarter to each other.
For a brief moment, it seemed as if the Baby Lancers would pull off the improbable as they led for the last time, 74-73.
But Eagles forward Errol Pastor changed all that as his bucket sparked Ateneo de Cebu’s game-deciding endgame kick, putting them in front, 75-74, with 2:21 left.
Travis Mantua then followed it up with a twinner of his own before Pastor added another bringing the lead to 79-74.
Free throws by Alex Visser and Calumpang kept the pressure on before Mantua and Yu closed the game out and sealed the victory with a basket and a free throw.
Andrew Velasco added 15 for Ateneo de Cebu while Pastor, who was later named as the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, contributed 14. Mantua powered through a leg injury to tally 10.
UV got 22 from superstar forward Jancork Cabahug while Joshua Yerro added 11.