UV's 8th straight title

CEBU - The University of the Visayas Green Lancers may not be sweeping all its opponents in the earlier rounds of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (CESAFI) basketball tournament, but the team wins the games that matter most.

UV bagged its eighth straight CESAFI cage crown last Wednesday, 73-68 over the University of San Jose Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars to wrap up the series three games to one.

Most were expecting a UV sweep of the series, but the Jaguars managed to pull a big one in game 3 to extend the series, but then the Lancers did not allow it to go further.

In my almost 20 years of chronicling sports in Cebu, I haven’t seen a team as dominant as the Lancers under coach Elmer ‘Boy’ Cabahug, who is one of the Cebu basketball personalities that I admire most.

What’s next for UV? While a ninth straight title in the CESAFI or maybe a 10th and more look reachable, I’d like to see the team bag a national title and bring back the glory days of Cebu in collegiate basketball.

To the administration of UV, the coaching staff and the players, congratulations!

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Last Saturday I witnessed the 2nd Central Command Mixed Rifle and Pistol Cup at the Centcom Firing Range inside Camp Lapu-lapu. The range is also referred to as Kamagong Gun Club by many in case you’re a bit confused.

The format of the event is not really new, but such competitions don’t often happen.

The officers and men of the Centcom are lucky to have a commander in Lt. Gen. Pedro Ike I. Inserto, who is a big supporter of shooting competitions as such activities allow them not only to bond with the others in the command, but more importantly hone a skills necessary for their profession.

I was told that the Kamagong Gun Club did a similar event the next day, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to witness it due to other commitments.

There would be more of these events at CentCom and many officers and men are looking forward to them like Commander John Garaña of the Navy, who bagged the title for stage 3 of the event last weekend.

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I was the Mactan Island Golf Club yesterday with some officers of the Philippine Air Force and one of my idol Peemayers, Lt. Col. Bruce S. Concepcion, the valedictorian of PMA class 1990.

I wasn’t really there for golf, but just to relax after doing a brief lecture on the invitation of my mistah Maj. Donald Madarang, commander of the 222nd Squadron.

If you are at the MIGC, there is one person who you would never miss, Retired Gen. Rodante S. Joya, who is now the club’s hard working general manager.

Gen. Joya reminded me of their Island Tee set on November 13 to 16, which is the club’s annual member-guest tournament.

Incidentally, I was with one of the stars of last year’s tournament, my mistah Dante Desuasido of the Philippine Air Force, who aced the par-3 hole number 15 in last year’s Island Tee.

It looks like I need to head back to the range and golf course again after over a month of absence. Work really interferes with golf hehehe…

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MILESTONE: Best wishes to Mario Guilla and Ma-an Obsioma, who will be tying the knot this afternoon at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Minglanilla. . (THE FREEMAN)