UV Lancers go for clincher tonight

CEBU - With a commanding 2-0 lead, there seems to be no stopping the University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers from carving out another history as they take on the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars tonight in Game 3 of their best-of-five finals series for the seniors crown of the 8th Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) basketball season at the Cebu Coliseum.

Games today (Cebu Coliseum) Finals, Game 3

5 pm - UC vs. UV (Juniors)

6:30 pm - USJ-R vs. UV

The Lancers, the most dominant collegiate ballclub in the southern Philippines, are just a win away from clinching an unprecedented eight straight CESAFI championship.

Their 6:30 pm duel against the Jaguars will be covered by Solar Sports - a first in Cebu amateur cagedom - and will be aired tomorrow beggining at 5 pm.

Facing no tomorrow, the Jaguars of coach Edito Salacut must play in full throttle as they seek to avert an embarrasing sweep. The choice is for them either to call it quits or stay alive and fight for another day.

Fil-Am tower Gregory Slaughter, who is expected to collect his third MVP trophy in a single season, had been very consistent in the finals and his presence is as monumental as his 6-foot-11 frame. Slaughter is a difficult homework the Jaguars have yet to answer.

And the way Slaughter asserted his dominance and broke down USJ-R’s defensive fortress, there is only little doubt whether the Lancers could complete a three-game sweep.

As for the Jaguars, team leader Luther Luke Justiniani, serving his last playing year in the league, must show his real form. In the past two setbacks to UV, he had been hardly an inspiration to his comrades scoring only a measly four points per game. Worse, he has yet to sink a field goal as he scored all his eight points from the foul line.

In those games that they lost, the Jaguars always have the opportunity to steal the game, but they could not handle Slaughter’s intimidating presence at the shaded lane.

Aside from Justiniani, seven other USJ-R players are all set to bade farewell from the CESAFI. They are Lyndon Gudez, Ranulfo Malinao, Randy Pogoy, Mannie Gabas, Armand Ponce, Jabe Delfino and Edmar Pateño.

This means that they will start over again from scratch.

If they want to leave a memorable mark in the league, that would be to score a victory over the mightly Lancers.

For them to do that, they have to contain Slaughter and UV’s army of outside shooters in the likes of Von Harry Lanete, Ritchum Dennison, Chris Victor Diputado, Harold Cincoflores, and Harlow Villanil alongside Bonifer Sendrijas, Edrian Lao, and Junjun Lasala.

On the other hand, defending champion UV Baby Lancers and tough challenger University of Cebu (UC) Junior Webmasters resume their battle in their own race-to-3 duel for the juniors division crown. The series is presently tied at one game apiece.

Since it is certain that there will be Game 4 in the junior finals, it wil be held on Wednesday to be preceded by the battle for third place between the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors against the UC Webmasters, which is also locked up at 1-all. - THE FREEMAN