Explosive guards Niño Ramirez and Lyndon Gudez brandished sizzling performances to lead their respective teams to triumph in the 7th Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) basketball event last Sunday at the University of San Carlos (USC)-Main Gymnasium.
Games tomorrow
(Cebu Coliseum)
4:30 pm CIT vs. UV (Srs.)
6:00 pm USPF vs. SWU (Srs.)
Ramirez sparkled with 28 points to spearhead the USC Warriors’ 86-79 conquest of the Cebu Institute of Technology (CIT) Wildcats, while Gudez had 17 points as the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars devoured Don Bosco College Greywolves, 81-60.
Interestingly, Gudez and Ramirez are teammates with the M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala in the commercial league.
Ramirez was backed up by star center Enrico Llanto and Giovanni Padillo with 11 markers apiece for the Warriors, who appeared to have already placed the victory in the bag with a 27-point lead, 66-39, with 5:54 left in the third period.
There was no sign for the Wildcats to come close except in the last two minutes when they staged a late run to lose by only seven points courtesy of a buzzer-beating triple by Eulogio Lamosa, Jr.From the opening tip-off until the late part of the fourth period, the Warriors made good defense from one end and scoring in transition on the other end to prolong the Wildcats’ agony.
If that game was only measured by decibels, USC was already unbeatable not for its big lead, but because of the air-splitting applause from the boisterous pro-Carolinian crowd.
Wildcat June Ryan Regis was unpopular in his debut because it seemed he was not in the game doing mischief that led to his ejection with two technical fouls. Thus, he will automatically sit out in their game against the mighty University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers tomorrow.
The two Sherwins - Abobo and Resilla - led the Wildcats with 21 and 10 points, respectively. The new look CIT wore beige uniforms instead of their traditional maroon jerseys.
Earlier, the Jaguars dominated the entire contest and led by as much as 23 points, 79-56 heading into the final two-minute mark of the contest. Aside from Gudez, the other bright spot on the Jaguars’ side was Jabe Delfino with 15 points.
The scores
First game
USJ-R (81) - Gudez 17, Delfino 15, Gabas 8, Ponce 8, Pogoy 6, Hatague 6, Carilla 5, Villahermosa 4, Malinao 4, Pateño 4, Antigua 2, Bibera 2
Don Bosco (60) - Sasuman 25, Alferez 10, Calooy 9, Oberes 7, Colegado 2, Alvarez 1, Enterina 1
Second game
USC (86) - Ramirez 28, Llanto 11, Padillo 11, Codilla 7, Joven 5, Igao 5, Padayao, Ferraren 5, Bercede 4, Lazalita 3, Blanes 2
CIT (79) - Abobo 21, Resilla 10, Lamosa 9, Montealto 9, Aniñon 9, Dela Cerna 8, Reyes 6, Villarba 5, Reyes 5, Lopez 2, Caballero 2