CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu Eastern College (CEC) Dragons made school history yesterday by scoring their first victory in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) and any major Cebu tournament for that matter.
The Dragons are laughing stock no more, at least as of last night when they mauled the Sacred Heart School (SHS)-Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles, 87-70, at the opening of the 10th CESAFI season at the Cebu Coliseum.
Rookie coach Jerry Jaranilla said after the game, "it's a great feeling winning our first victory. It's an honor to our school."
Jaranilla traveled across the Visayas and Mindanao to scout for players and took four players from Bacolod in Nike Montalvo, who led the offense with 22 points, Roy Vincent Villarias, Luther Nuevos and Marven Bauya and brought in three players from Davao in Benjamin James Zosa, Mark Anthony Olayon and Jefferson Janes Roxas. The second top scorer James Neil Sumayang, who fired 15 points, hails from Bogo.
Jaranilla said that they imposed discipline to their players and housed them in one room.
For his part, coaching staff member Sammy Sia said that were a little bit pressured whether they could actually translate their wins in tune-up games into a victory in actual games so that they can prove their detractors wrong.
The investment that the school has been receiving from their alumni through Chester Cokaliong also proved to be a big help in transforming the team that has always been massacred in the past but now they are having a reversal of fortune.
Just as the game started, the Dragons already showed some significant changes as they scored the first basket courtesy of Johnmar Lou Regidor, son of ex-pro Lou Regidor, and they outhustled the Magis Eagles at the post.
One thing that they improved was their fastbreak because when they could hardly cross the midcourt last year under coach Rex Salvaña, they were the more elusive than the Eagles' pointguards in the likes of Brady Bacaltos, Adven Jess Diputado and Henry Renzar Asilum.
From a 44-38 edge at halftime, the Dragons ended the third period with a 68-58 lead on a three-point play by Regidor.
Their largest lead, however, stood at 19 points, 85-66, in the final 1:21 of the contest on Olayons' lay-up.
As of presstime last night, the University of southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Panthers and the Cebu Institute of Technology (CIT) Wildcats were still playing in the lone collegiate match scheduled for the day.
The scores
CEC (87) -Montalvo 22, Sumayang 15, Olayon 13, Regidor 9, Zosa 8, Villarias 7, Bauya 5, Sypongco 3, Abecia 3, Villarosa 2, Nuevos 2
SHS-J (70) - Muller 18, Diputado 10, Bacaltos 8, Cadavis 8, Asilum 7, Abbu 5, Sing 5, Suarez 5, Ochea 2, Tecson 2. Halftime: 44-38 (FREEMAN)