Local Basketball

The last time I experienced watching high school basketball was more than 30 years ago when the league was still called the Cebu Catholic Schools Athletic Association or CCSAA. Games were usually held at the USC Boys’ High School at Mango Avenue on weekends.

Coming from Don Bosco, we boys always look forward to those weekends as it is the only time when we can do what we want on the gym and everything in between without the stern looks from the Salesian priests and brothers. More importantly, since our basketball team then were borderline doormats, we make “choy-choy” and try our lucks with the girls from STC and CIC.

Well, I got my girl from STC and is now the wife but conquering and letting her surrender was not from those episodes but from much later special operations. 

Last Monday, I finally had the chance to watch high school basketball again. Together with the wifey and two children, we witnessed the demolition job done by the UV Baby Lancers to the Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles.

The lower box section of the Cebu Coliseum was packed but it was the crowd behind the respective benches of the high school squads that made the experience more enjoyable with their rabid cheering with matching “pangaway”.

Since my daughter goes to SHS-AdC and likewise my son, who graduated there a few years before it became Ateneo, we located near their bench. My ears were ringing when we got out of the coliseum as the school had some of their drum corps immediately behind us, merrily banging their percussions for the greater part of the game.

Ateneo had a good first half but when the second half started, their outside shooters were firing blanks, their big men were clamped inside the paint. UV had a great second half, took advantage of the situation and coasted to a comfortable margin.

You should have read of the results from last night’s Game 3 somewhere on these pages, and whoever won between UV and SHS-AdC will have the momentum for Game 4, to be played later tomorrow afternoon.

We caught a greater part of the battle for third place between the senior team of UV and USC. Gone are the days of Lancer supremacy in local collegiate games if that particular match alone should be the gauge. The Lancers are in unfamiliar territory this year, settling for fourth place.

The four stupid fouls committed by UV against SWU during their knockout match two weeks ago gave a big blow to the Lancer’s legacy of dominance. Yes, basketball is a contact sport but it’s not mixed martial arts either. You don’t do Brock Lesnar-like moves when you foul the opposition.

Oh sure, the officiating leaves more to be desired (still was and still is) and that’s one of the triggering factor why that said game went awfully ugly. The intent to prevent the opposing team to score was replaced with the intent to maim and hurt. The refs could have controlled the situation had they not been consistent with their inconsistence.

This also speaks well of UV’s present coaching set-up. The coaches could have controlled their Lancers on the playing court. One or two stupid fouls can be excusable but four? 

The tandem of Boy Cabahug and Al Solis were a class act giving UV more than a decade of superior control over the other universities and colleges not only here in the Queen City but the whole of Central Visayas. I had the chance to be acquainted with these guys and both of them are soft-spoken. Never in their wildest dreams would they allow their players to go lunatically berserk with the other team. 

I have nothing against UV’s present coaches but to be blunt and frank about, they lack the pedigree compared to former PBA hotshots BoyCabs and Alo. I guess majority of the Cebuano basketball fans would agree with me on this one.

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