Magis Eagles soar past Dragons

CEBU, Philippines - The Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) Magis Eagles bravely wiped out an 11-point deficit in the third period then rallied to a huge 92-86 victory over defending champion Cebu Eastern College (CEC) Dragons in a clash of junior division heavyweights in the 11th Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) basketball season last Tuesday night at the Cebu Coliseum.

Games today (Cebu Coliseum)

Juniors

5:15 pm USC vs. USJ-R

6:45 pm USP-F vs. UC

The Magis Eagles, now undefeated in seven starts, are poised to complete an 8-0 sweep as their final assignment in the first round will be against the smaller University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Baby Jaguars on Friday at the USC-Main gym.

When asked how does it feel going closer to a 'Perfect 8', Magis Eagles coach Ramil Rasmo said:"Actually we're not talking of a sweep yet. I just want them to improve in every game."   

Down by 11 points going into the final quarter, 61-72, Aaron Sing sank back-to-back triples to fuel a searing 12-2 run that pulled the Magis Eagles within just a hairline, 73-74, with still 6:03 left to play.

Despite they failed to grab the lead at once after a fiery exchange of baskets, the Magis Eagles showed a lot of maturity in defying any pressure and instead won the battle of nerves against the Dragons, who still enjoyed an 83-76 edge going into the final four minutes.

Dave Yu hit a medium-range jumper from the left wing to finally put the Magis Eagles on top, 84-83, following a fluid 8-0 run. Dawn Ochea and Julius Cadavis then took over in the remaining seconds to further add damage to the Dragons' monumental endgame collapse.

The Magis Eagles earlier turned a 41-44 deficit at halftime into a 52-48 lead in the third but suddenly lost that to the Dragons on James Neil Sumayang's charities, 55-54. Since then, both teams refused to wither and kept on trading shots to the delight of spectators.

Ochea, who was very effective at the post despite his slim built, topscored for the Magis Eagles with 26 points, while big man Julius Cadavis chipped in 19 markers. Third-quarter hero Sing netted 17 markers spiked with five treys, while Asilum, a wily guard who is a member of the PHL Youth team, banged in 11 points.

Luther Huevos had 18 points followed by Alfred Anecito with 17 for the Dragons. Neil Sumayang added 16 points, while Marvin Bauya and Rex Darwin Villarosa connived for 23 markers but to no avail as they suffered their second loss in seven games.

The scores

SHS-AdC (92) - Ochea 26, Cadavis 19, Sin 17, Asilum 11, Lim 8, Cercado 6, Igna 4, Yu 3, Tecson 2, Competente 1

CEC (86) - Huevos 18, Sedillo 17, Sumayang 16, Bauya 12, Villarosa 11, Zosa 5, Balangkig 4, Roxas 2, Berdera 2 Halftime: 44-41. - THE FREEMAN