Warriors eye share of lead in duel with Jaguars today

CEBU, Philippines - The University of San Carlos Warriors gun for a share of lead when they go up against the University of San Jose-Recoletos Jaguars in the 15th Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. men’s basketball tournament  today at the Cebu Coliseum.

Against the Jaguars, the Warriors of coach Britt Reroma can’t afford to play the same way they did against the Cebu Institute of Technology-University Wildcats where they got off to a lackluster starts and even trailed by as much as 18 points, which is very uncharacteristic of a strong championship contender.

They struggled for most of the 40-minute skirmish but thanks to endgame heroics of Ian Tagapan and Ian Ortega, the Warriors dodged the Wildcats’ bullet and eventually eked out a 83-65 decision to move just one game away from the pace-setting University of the Visayas Green Lancers (4-0).

Aside from their two Ians, the Warriors could also count on Charles Pepito, Nico Magat, Victor Rabat, and Giovanni Laguyo, who has somehow shown he could hold on his ground against the other top playmakers of the league.

The presence of Cameeronian tower Shooster Olago and Fil-Australian William McAloney, who was a revelation with his dominant post-up plays against the Wildcats, is a plus factor for the Warriors against the import-less and smaller Jaguars, who are smarting from a 62-71 setback at the hands of the short-handed Southwestern University last Sunday.

As they aim for their second win in five starts, the Jaguars of coach Jun Noel will depend on the likes of Kevin Villfranca, Ralph Dinolan, Jaybie Mantilla, Juan Gastadtor, Nelvin Navarra, and Mark Labares among others.   

In the juniors division match, the Sacred Heart School–Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles will try to extend their winning streak to four games when they face off with the USJ-R Baby Jaguars at 5:15 p.m. (FREEMAN)