UC, UV in knockout duel for Partner's Cup juniors title

CEBU, Philippines - The top two high school teams in Cebu will flaunt their hoop skills up the southern part of Cebu as the topseed Enervon C-UC Junior Webmasters clash with the second-ranked PTT Fuels-UV Baby Lancers in the knockout finals of the 4th CESAFI Partner’s Cup at the Dumanjug Sports Complex.

Gametime is set at 5:30 pm.

Originally, the finals would have been a best-of-five series but CESAFI commissioner Felix O. Tiukinhoy, Jr. said they decided to make it a sudden-death match due to lack of time as the players already want to enjoy the summer vacation that has long been overdue.

The Junior Webmasters topped the elimination via a six-game sweep, but they could forget that feat by just absorbing one loss - not at all when the title is within reach.

During the CESAFI regular season last year, the Junior Webmasters also scored a clean sweep against all their rivals in the classification round only to fall on the upset axe delivered by the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJR) Baby Jaguars.

Having been given another chance to clinch the crown, the Junior Webmasters have to undergo 40 minutes of excellent ballgame to escape from the ghost that haunted them last year.

On the other hand, the Baby Lancers failed to advance to the finals last season when they were swept by the Cebu Institute of Technology (CIT) Wildkittens, who eventually snatched a historic crown by beating the Baby Jaguars.

Against the Junior Webmasters, it’s all up to the Baby Lancers to exact revenge of their elimination round loss and tonight’s victory could be sweeter than it was UC’s triumph last January.

They maybe the second placers this season but the Baby Lancers are certainly no pushovers against the Junior Webmasters.

The Junior Webmasters will strut one of the best point guards in the country today in Jerie Marlon Pingoy, who was named into the Mythical Five of the just-concluded Palarong Pambansa in Tarlac, along with big man Alvin Labolabo, defensive forward Clint Saramosing, John Japhael Aranas, Alexander Nazareno, Ruel Padilla and the graduating Alfred Codilla.

The Baby Lancers will be bannered by Gerald Legarde, Mark Linao, Vincent Mendoza, Francisco Arong, Jr. Edcor Marata Jr., Anthony Pero and Glennson Ybañez among others.   (FREEMAN NEWS)