CEBU, Philippines - The top two seeds Hotel Fortuna/SWU Cobras and Enervon/UC Webmasters are eyeing for a repeat performances against their respective rivals, but Prime Asia/UV Lancers and Ave Maria/USJ-R Jaguars are preparing for vengeance as the 3rd CESAFI Partners’ Cup best-of-three semifinal series starts today at the Cebu Coliseum.
Games today
(Cebu Coliseum)
5:00 pm Enervon/UC vs. Ave Maria/USJR
6:30 pm Hotel Fortuna/SWU vs. Prime Asia/UV
All the top four teams swept their rivals by at least 20 points to advance into the semifinals without any glitch.
Demolition jobs were the order of the day for SWU, UC and UV during the quarterfinal round. The Cobras slammed Virginia/CIT Wildcats, 82-59, the Webmasters crushed the R.Lapid’s/DBTC Greywolves, and the Lancers annihilated CDO Idol/USPF Panthers, 102-78.
Now that everything is back to square one, the top contenders face another tough challenge in their quest to the finals.
The Cobras will try to prove that their season-opening 80-76 over the Lancers was no fluke as they take on anew the Gregory Slaughter-led UV, while the Webmasters hope to reaffirm their dominance over the Jaguars, who they completely dominated during their first encounter, 100-74.
Tonight, Slaughter must be at the battlefront to keep the UV spirit burning. It was also a good thing for coach Elmer “Boy” Cabahug that they have slowly adjusted with their game and learned to win games when Slaughter is on loan to the RP Team.
The Lancers should forget the past and face the real game against the Cobras as they both shoot for a crucial 1-0 headstart.
As anticipated long before, the game between the Cobras and the Lancers will be a classic game that is capable of drawing a sellout crowd.
Likewise, the Webmasters have something in store for the Jaguars, but for sure it will not be as easy than before.
The Webmasters should dominate the shade lane and control the rebounds because that is where their 6-foot-11 beanpole June Mar Fajardo is most lethal. They should also make use of their quickness and remain consistent with their outside sniping.
On the part of the Jaguars, they are expected to employ some adjustments which remain to be seen. (THE FREEMAN)