USC, UV sizzle in Visayas finals of Milo BEST caging

ILOILO CITY, Philippines -  Undermanned, but not short of power. This was the statement made by Team Cebu in the first day of the Visayas regional finals of the Milo BEST Center SBP Passerelle Twin Tournament as both the University of San Carlos (USC) and University of the Visayas (UV) earned berths in the championship games of their respective divisions.

In the Small Basketeers Philippines (SBP) division, USC bucked the sidelining of the injured Jholo Pakanna (fractured arm) and waylaid its two opponents on Day 1. The Baby Warriors stopped St. John’s Institute of Bacolod City, 59-41, then ousted College of St. John (CSJR) of Roxas City, 44-34.

In a rematch of their pre-season game during the YBL Vismin Goodwill Games where St. John’s whipped USC, 54-35, the Cebu champions seized control early to get the win. After a 13-6 first quarter lead, the four-man line-up of the second period protected the lead for a 26-20 edge at halftime. The lead ballooned to 41-31 after three periods and it was cruise control in the final canto.

It was the same story in the game against the Roxas City champions where USC controlled the game from start to finish, with Coach Vernini Tangarorang opting to rest his first squad for most parts of the final period.

In other games, St. John’s of Bacolod recovered from their loss to USC and defeated Ateneo de Iloilo, 46-30, while Ateneo de Iloilo dumped CSJR of Roxas, 61-17.

In the Passerelle action, UV overcame University of St. La Salle of Bacolod, 57-53, then trashed Colegio de la Purisima Concepcion (CPC) of Roxas City, 79-42.

UV, which is also playing with 14 players, leaned on its endgame exposure to top the spirited charge of the Bacolod champions.

It was a nip and tuck game all the way to the end, which saw both teams tied at 53-all with 1:05 left to play. Gerald Fernandez gave UV the lead with a free throw, 54-53, with 46 seconds left in the game, then Dave Cabanilla had the defensive gem of the game when he blocked the low post attempt of Jose Longa.

Jun Manzo made it 55-53 with a free throw with 11 seconds left as USLS fouled to stop the clock. Cabanilla then came up with another defensive gem, stealing the inbounds pass from the succeeding play and coasting to a layup for the final tally.

In the other games, Ateneo de Iloilo (AdI) also scored two straight wins to arrange a title showdown with the Passerelle Lancers. AdI topped CPC of Roxas, 84-32, the nipped USLS of Bacolod, 61-60 in a thriller.

The champions here will face off against the SBP and Passerelle champions of Luzon (Don Bosco Pampanga and Holy Angel University), Mindanao (Ateneo de Davao and Holy Child), the National Capital Region (La Salle Greenhills) at the national finals in Roxas City on December 1-2. (FREEMAN)