UC teams take centerstage as CESAFI q'finals on today

CEBU, Philippines - Armed with a twice-to-beat advantage, top seeds University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters seek to bring their championship campaigns to a higher level as they battle the eight-ranked Don Bosco Technology Center (DBTC) Greywolves at the start 9th Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) basketball quarterfinals today at the USC gym.

Games today

(USC Gym)

4:30 pm UC vs. DBTC (Jrs.)

6:00 pm UC vs. DBTC (Srs.)

The Webmasters will clash with the Greywolves in the main match at 6 pm, right after the showdown between their junior counterparts at 4:30 pm.

The Webmasters, who finished as top qualifier for the first time in the nine-year-old CESAFI with a 6-1 win-loss record, annihilated the Greywolves in their previous meeting, 120-85, but the game went close in the entire first half.

The Webmasters are actually tied with second-ranked University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers but grabbed higher placing by virtue of a simple tie. They beat UV, 75-73, during the season-opener last August 2.

The Junior Webmasters also stamped their class over the Junior Greywolves via a 50-point rout, 109-59, thus, putting no doubt on tonight’s outcome. 

An encore by the UC squads over their DBTC rivals will give them tickets to the semifinals.

The best is yet to come for the Webmasters because the true test of their characters will be determined in the next round as the energy level will switch to a higher dimension.

As usual, 6-foot-11 center June Mar Fajardo is a top commodity for the Greywolves to deal on. Fajardo reigns at the painted area, while Moncrief Rogado owns the outside field and the parking lot for three-point baskets.

Janssen Abella, Arvin Kim Gomez and Kelvin Juliane are among the other top guns in the Webmasters arsenal that also include Rommel Luceño, Robinson Mohamad, Kevin Quilantang and rookies Mark Tano, V-Franz Bernil and Keith Erwin Cayanong.

The Greywolves will be forced to be scrappy with their roster that includes Celso Colegado Jr., Alain delos Santos, Joseph Villaver, Jefford Aldave and Jayson Cabrilles.

In the secondary duel, Jerei Marlon Pingoy, Gerald Ampon, Alfred Codilla and Alvin Labolabo Jr. are among the UC reliables expected to give the Junior Greywolves a big headache as well as the likes of Alexander Nazareno, John Raphael Aranas, Clent Saramosing and Ruel Padilla Jr.

The Junior Greywolves, on the other hand, hope to draw an excellent game from Kyle Esbra, Chris Daryl Yap, William Kristoffer Alburo, Fane Empenio, Rob Lowe Balorio and the formidable Ruiz brothers - Lourence and John Eleazar. (FREEMAN NEWS)