Warriors, Panthers pull vengeful wins

CEBU, Philippines — The University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors and the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Panthers got back at their first-round tormentors in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) Season 26 basketball tournament on Sunday, November 8, at the Cebu Coliseum.

Uriel Avila scored 17 points and grabbed five rebounds, while Jhoernel Tangkay and James Gica added 11 points apiece as the Warriors exacted vengeance on the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars in dominant fashion, 69-47, to boost their Final Four bid with a 9-4 record.

The Warriors led by as many as 28 points en route to the wire-to-wire triumph.

Meanwhile, the Panthers snapped their nine-game losing streak with a 74-69 revenge victory over the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu Fighting Maroons.

Peter John Peteros fired 25 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals, while John Anthony Aligway chipped in 13 points, eight rebounds and two assists to power the Panthers to only their second win in 11 games.

In the juniors division, James Precious Ponce sizzled with 23 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Zeldor Lauganas contributed 16 points, four rebounds and two assists as the USJ-R Jaguar Cubs improved to 7-2 with a 79-70 beating of the University of Cebu (UC) Baby Webmasters.

In other games, the Cebu Eastern College (CEC) Dragons trounced the San Roque College De Cebu (SRCDC) Greyhounds, 85-60, while the USPF Baby Panthers subdued the PAREF Springdale (PSS) Titans, 79-74.

Cedric de la Rosa delivered an all-around performance of 29 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and three steals for CEC.

King Rosello Navarro tossed in 14 points, three rebounds and seven assists, while Sidney Franz Vanhoek posted a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds as the Dragons improved to 4-5.

Kiz Lawrence Selim caught the eye with 26 points, three steals and two rebounds, while Michael Joseph Flandez charted 16 points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals to lift the Baby Panthers to a 3-5 mark.