UC Webmasters off to explosive start

CEBU, Philippines — The University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters kick-started their campaign with an 81-47 rout of sister-team University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue (UCLM) in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) Season 26 basketball tournament last Sunday, September 6, at the Cebu Coliseum.

All but one of the 15 players summoned by coach Kernn Sesante to the court hit the scoring chart in a balanced offensive performance.

Luther Leonard dished out 13 points, nine rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block while Maverick Eligoyo also nailed 13 markers with three rebounds, one assist and one steal for the Webmasters, who kept UCLM at bay after sprinting to a 26-8 start.

The Webmasters padded their lead to 60-34 after three quarters before it peaked at 38 points late in the lopsided contest.

Javier Palco finished with 12 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal for UCLM, which suffered its second straight loss.

In the other collegiate matchup, Serge Gabines delivered a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds as the Benedicto College (BC) Cheetahs upended the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu Fighting Maroons, 81-72, for their second straight win.

Den Rick Orgong added 14 points and six rebounds, Kennenth Babalcon contributed 11 points, five rebounds and five assists while Alcher John Pabalan posted a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double for the Cheetahs.

AJ de los Reyes paced UP Cebu with 14 points and four rebounds while Andrew Padilla had 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals in a losing cause.

In the juniors division, Cedric de la Rosa produced a scintillating all-around show as the Cebu Eastern College (CEC) Dragons rolled to their second win in a row with a 67-54 whacking of the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Baby Panthers.

De la Rosa filled the stat sheet with 27 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, five steals and two blocks. Gillan Niño Llanos was the only other double-digit scorer for CEC with 14 points, one rebound and three assists.

In the other result, Jhun Miguel Telmo chalked up 19 points and four rebounds to power the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguar Cubs to a 65-48 thrashing of the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Junior Wildcats. — (FREEMAN)