VAAA cage final on today

Revenge will surely be on top of the mind of Southwestern University (SWU) Cobras when they take on the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars in Game 1 of the best-of-three Visayas Amateur Athletic Association (VAAA) men's basketball finals today at the USC Main gym.

The Jaguars and the Cobras mangled separate foes - the Salazar College of Science and Institute of Technology (SCSIT) and the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors, respectively, to arrange a race-to-2 showdown for the historic crown.

The odds are in favor of the Jaguars because in at least five meetings, including in the Partner's Cup, they always dominate the Cobras.

If there's one more chance for the Cobras to prove their worth, it would be in the VAAA finals.

There are so many things lacking for the Cobras in their ambitious quest and that include defense - always regarded as key to victory but considered by most teams as the imperfection of basketball.

The offense is there for the Cobras, but the problem is they could not sustain their rally. They often collapse in the homestretch when they have only little time to recover.

The other factor maybe the lack of manpower in tonight's game unless coach Dodie Miego allows guard Jaime Yap and the bull-strong Gilbert Gallarde, who suffered nasty cuts on their faces, to play to augment their depleted lineup.

The closest route to victory for the Cobras is to defend Armand Ponce and Lyndon Gudez. They can kill the Cobras as they did it most of the time.

Also count on Luther Justiniani, John Malinao, Randy Pogoy, Manny Gabas, Boby Hatague and Jessmar Villahermosa in the Cobras' gameplan how to stop them.

The Cobras, on the other hand, can rely on Alfred Belande, Mariano Canonigo, Richard Gianchand, Clifford Maguate and Ritchie Jalandoni, among others.

Earlier in the day, the Warriors are expected to count on Niño Ramirez, Ryan Carlo Padayao, Vernini Tangarorang, Paul Joven, Jomel Igao and James Tagalog, while the Skyblazers rely on Dicksim Kintanar, Jeffrey Tampus, Gerwin Cane, Armand Serna and Benjie Calma.