Lancers zap Wildcats in fight-marred battle

Michael Luga finished what Harlow Villanil started as the University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers smothered the Cebu Institute of Technology (CIT) Wildcats, 99-61, in a tumultuous match marred by a near-fight and two ejections in last night’s 7th Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) basketball tournament at the Cebu Coliseum.

From a sluggish start, the Lancers caught fire in the second period but not after allowing the Wildcats to take a 10-0 start and a 13-3 lead in the early goings.

Villanil heaved the go-ahead riple, 19-18, and was already unstoppable in the second period hitting three consecutive triples that sent a stern warning to the opposition as the Lancers took a 46-33 halftime lead.

The third period was a virtual shooting clinic by the Lancers, while the Wildcats were in disarray groping for points they could hardly find when the former employed a solid trapping defense.

It was when Luga, a rookie but a veteran in the commercial derby, took turns in scoring with the Lancers ripping the game apart with a eye-popping 39-point advantage with just a few seconds before the final buzzer.

The Wildcats themselves prolonged their agony when Ryan Montealto was thrown out  in the final 1:44 of the contest for throwing an elbow on Chris Victor Diputado. In retaliation, Diputado lunged a hard foul against Montealto that also caused his ejection.

CIT coach Alex de la Torre’s temper also flared up when CIT was slapped with a bench technical during the slight commotion.

In the ensuing play, Dexter Capaning and a rugged UV defender Ritchum Dennison figured in a heated altercation when Capaning reacted on an offensive foul by Dennison, which was already decided by the referee time with 1:15 left to play. Some players from both benches attempted to run into the centercourt but the proverbial coder heads prevailed in putting the situation under control.

Luga, who was fielded only late in the third period until the end of the match, led the Lancers with 19 points, while Villanil had 18 points. Even Fil-Am Gregory Fuentes Slaughter joined in the scoring fray as he exploited his height advantage scoring 11 points. Von Harry Lanete and Bonifer Sendrijas had identical 12 points for the Lancers, who have now accumulated an overall 70-1 win-loss record in six years.

The scores

UV (Srs.) (99) - Luga 19, Villanil 18, Lanete 12, Sendrijas 12, Slaughter 11, Tancongco 5, Berame 4, Mepaña 4, Lao 4, Dennison 3, Diputado 2

CIT (Srs.) (61) - Abobo 19, Aniñon 9, Resilla 6, Reyes 6, Montealto 5, Villarba 5, Dela Cerna 4, Lamosa 3, Molero 2, Capaning 2