CESAFI: UV Baby Lancers edge UCLM in thrilling duel
Roderick Cambarijan (30) of UV fouls Felix Rogasajo of UCLM in their Cesafi Season 24 game. | Photo from Sugbuanong Kodaker
CEBU CITY, Philippines— The University of the Visayas (UV) Baby Lancers returned to winning form with a narrow 65-64 victory over the UCLM Webmasters in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) Season 24 High School Basketball Tournament on Thursday night, October 17, at the Cebu Coliseum.
The matchup featured 12 lead changes and eight ties, with UV bouncing back after a heartbreaking loss to the CIT-U Junior Wildcats just days earlier. This win improved UV’s record to 4-1, while UCLM dropped to 1-3.
Roderick Cambarijan Jr. led the Baby Lancers’ effort, posting a game-high 19 points along with 15 rebounds and five steals.
Despite struggling with his shooting, going 8-of-22 from the field, Cambarijan’s hustle was pivotal in securing the win.
Both teams struggled offensively, with UV converting only 24 of 88 attempts and UCLM hitting 23 of 65.
Supporting Cambarijan were Christophelcian Abellana, Kenneth Cole, and Jhunrel Dagatan, who each contributed nine points to the team’s total.
John Nethan Dela Torre, a key scorer for UV, had a tough night, finishing with just two points on 1-of-11 shooting.
On the other side, UCLM’s Prince Mallorca and Dan Mitchell Ferraren led their team with 13 points apiece, but it wasn’t enough to pull off the win in their back-and-forth battle.
The game took a turn early in the third quarter as UV struggled offensively, missing five consecutive shots.
This allowed UCLM to capitalize with a 7-0 run, establishing a 42-35 lead. However, the Baby Lancers responded, with Cambarijan’s efforts tying the game at 45.
As the third quarter ended, UCLM held a narrow 48-47 advantage, largely due to UV’s struggles at the foul line.
The final period saw both teams battling fiercely for every possession, resulting in five more lead changes.
The game was tied at 55 after Cambarijan scored, but he pushed UV ahead with back-to-back baskets, making it 59-55.
UCLM fought back, tying the score at 59 with a crucial contribution from Laurence Justine Pamas. However, UV regained the lead with a layup from Cole, making it 62-59 with just over two minutes remaining.
The pressure intensified as both teams traded free throws, with UCLM narrowing the gap to 62-60. However, they struggled to convert key opportunities to reclaim the lead.
Dagatan then found an opening in UCLM’s defense, scoring a layup to extend UV’s lead to 64-60. A free throw from Dagatan pushed the margin to 65-60 with less than a minute remaining.
UCLM refused to back down, cutting UV’s lead to a single point at 65-64 after free throws from Wade Adam Luche and a pivotal putback from Yance Montealto with 16.5 seconds left.
In a tense final moment, UV nearly surrendered their lead due to a turnover, but UCLM’s Felix Ragasajo missed the game-winning jumper. UV secured the defensive rebound, clinching a hard-fought victory in a thrilling showdown.
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