High five for Magis Eagles, UCLM juniors in CESAFI basketball

MANILA, Philippines — Reigning five-peat champions Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) Magis Eagles and the University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue (UCLM) stretched their perfect starts to 5-0 in the juniors division of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) Season 26 basketball tournament Tuesday night, October 6, at the Cebu Coliseum.

Lian Kent Basa fired 20 points with seven rebounds, one steal and one block to power the Magis Eagles to a 64-42 rout of the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Junior Wildcats.

Hionrey Recio added 13 points, two assists and two steals, while Gabriel Gonzales scored only four points but made his presence felt on the defensive end with 12 rebounds, four blocks, two assists and a steal as the Magis Eagles kept their undefeated record intact.

The outcome was already clear as crystal when the Magis Eagles built a commanding 36-14 lead at halftime, which they padded to as many as 29 points late in the third period.

Vincent Zamora finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, one assist and three steals for the Junior Wildcats, who dropped to 5-3.

In the other high school matchup, Nathaniel de los Reyes sizzled with 20 points, two rebounds, five assists and three steals, while Klent Ovillo tossed in 17 points and nine rebounds as UCLM trounced the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguar Cubs, 83-64, to remain unbeaten in five games.

Kyle Francis Bayog posted an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double along with five assists and three steals for UCLM, which was firmly in control after easing into an early 13-point advantage, 29-16.

Japhet Sedrome had 17 points, seven rebounds and a block, while Jan Chris Taburada chipped in 11 points and three rebounds, but their efforts fell short as the Jaguar Cubs suffered back-to-back losses after a rousing 4-0 start.

In the lone collegiate duel, the USJ-R Jaguars improved to 5-3 with a 77-70 overtime victory over the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu Fighting Maroons.

Alcher Obra was the man of the hour for USJ-R with a solid double-double of 24 points and 13 rebounds, along with seven assists, five steals and a block in a dazzling all-around performance.

Kirst Rylla Silva, Kenneth Cavin Cole and Christian Carl Sollano combined for 36 points for the Jaguars, who squandered a 12-point advantage in the second half but staged a 12-5 run in the extra five-minute period to secure the win.

AJ de los Reyes bagged 14 points, Aron Dave Kress had 12, while Nino Wenraye Sarol tallied 10 markers, but their efforts went to waste as the Fighting Maroons fell to 2-6.