Magis Eagles strike back

CEBU, Philippines - After losing by close decision in the nerve-wracking series opener, six-time champions Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles returned the favor to the University of the Visayas Baby Lancers.

But it did not come easy as the Magis Eagles blew hot and cold before banking on a solid endgame kick to get even with the Baby Lancers, 65-63, in another down-the-wire finish to forge a deciding Game 3 in the SM National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) League Cebu division finals yesterday at the Minglanilla Sports Complex.

Both sides were electrified by the cheers of close to 2,000 screaming fans from the Sisters of Mary School-Boystown, but Ateneo's championship experience, with a little aid from UV's erratic play torwards the finish line, mattered most.

    In imminent danger of being swept away after the Baby Lancers overhauled a 12-point deficit on the way to seize the take a three-point lead, 61-58, in the final four-minute zone of contest, the Magis Eagles managed to keep their heads above the water with a 7-0 blitz sparked by Eroll Pastor, Christian Manaytay and Patrick Yu that put them back on top, 65-61, with 2:33 left to play.

The Baby Lancers came close for the last time at 63-65 on Joshua Yerro's basket with 2:02 to go as the two protagonists swapped errors and missed shots the rest of the way.

After Yu mifed a running short jumper, UV still has a chance to either steal the win or send the game into overtime with seven seconds to play but Jimpaul Amistoso, perhaps unmindful of the remaiming time, dribbled the ball away before losing it in the halfcourt before a phalanx of Ateneo defenders as the gameclock expired. 

The bench of UV, with no less their team manager Samsam Gullas acting as their chief cheerleader, was a sorry sight in that particular sequence, while their SHS-Ateneo counterparts leapt for joy knowing that they will live and fight for another day.

Pastor led Ateneo's balanced attack with 11 points. Yu, Andrew Velasco and Jemery Nacua each scored nine, while Travis Mantua chipped in eight for the Magis Eagles, who can now breathe a sigh of relief after a disappointing 8082 loss in Game 1 where they wasted away an 11-point edge early in the fourth period.

Again, the Magis Eagles led by as much as 12 points twice the last was at halftime, 42-30, as the Baby Lancers returned fire in the third to force a 51-51. UV even wrested the driver's seat but the Magis Eagles held on their ground this time to gain a lifeline.

Versatile big man Jancork Cabahug posted a game-high 18 points while Justin Jake Rosete cashed in 16 markers but only six players hit the scoring chart for the Baby Lancers, whose string of costly miscues in the crucial stretch led to their downfall.

The Baby Lancers and the Magis Eagles will settle their unfinished business once and for all in the sudden-death Game 3 set for February 4 at the Hoopsdome in Lapu-Lapu City. (FREEMAN)