Lancers, Cobras face off in Lutopan

The series of pre-season games for CESAFI’s top teams continues when the University of the Visayas (UV) faces Southwestern University (SWU) in an exhibition game on Sunday at the newly-refurbished Carmen Copper Recreation Center at the Carmen Copper Corporation (CCC) formerly Atlas Mining in Barangay DAS (Lutopan), Toledo City.

Both teams will be fresh from their stint in the Asian University Basketball Championships and will be using this as a way to prepare for the upcoming CESAFI 2008 season.

The UV Lancers are expected to build this year’s team around Greg Slaughter, who has received a lot of praise for the improved level of play that he has shown this year.

Slaughter is expected to combine forces with UV’s solid backcourt rotation composed of Von Harry Lanete, Chris Diputado and Ritchum Dennison.

The SWU Cobras will be relying on basically the same unit that placed fourth in CESAFI 2007 and won the National Students Basketball Championship a few months ago. Key players Clifford Maguate, Janno Nuñez and Alfred Belande have been added to an already solid line-up that is expected to be a strong contender for the CESAFI championship.

Seeing action in the preliminary game is the Carmen Copper CSD team that will play against the Toledo All Stars. The Carmen Copper CSD team is bannered by ex-collegiate and commercial league veterans stars like Aldrin Ocañada, Wilbert Sayson, Jan Montalbo, Raul Redulosa and Jerry Jaca.

The exhibition game is part of a series of activities highlighting the fiesta of Barangay DAS in honor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Spearheading the activities is the Parish Pastoral Council led by its President Tessie Cal. It also hopes to revive sports in the former Atlas Mines that was once a dominant player in sports. (GGM)