CEBU, Philippines – The Cebu Eastern College (CEC) Dragons oozed with confidence yesterday and proved too much for the University of Southern Philippines-Foundation (USP-F) Baby Panthers by scoring an 87-73 win to move into a tie for second place with their victims in the secondary division of the 10th season of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) at the Cebu Coliseum.
The Dragons, who lost to the University of the Visayas (UV) Baby Lancers in their last outing, pounded hard on the Panthers.
Head guard Benjamin James Zosa, who has an awkward shooting stance, tended the backcourt with precision outsmarting his Baby Panthers' counterparts aside from leading the team's offense with 24 points.
The Dragons, who were leading by as much as 30 points, 70-40 at the end of the third period, outdid the Baby Panthers in almost all departments except in the free throws where James Neil Sumayang struggled badly making only 2 of 13 attempts.
Sumayang who was given only a few minutes rest by coach Jerry Jaranilla was himself a mismatch against the Baby Panthers at the paint because he is a mobile and crafty center-forward.
Leading at the half, 48-26, the Dragons also defended well that they gave the Baby Panthers a hard time in crossing the midcourt which was the former's weakness last year when they were massacred by all of their opponents.
So destructive, even the smallest player from the Dragon's lair John Li Anthony Damole contributed by completing a rare four-point play moments before the halftime break.
Sumayang added 12 points for the Dragons while Roy Vincent Villarias and Nike Montalbo scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Rommel Diapera, the most senior of the Baby Panthers' line-up amassed 32 points while Mar Riger Cavan finished with 19 points. Joshua Corcilles, one of the Baby Panthers' leading scorers was limited to just 11 points while guard Richard Gigante who was totally outscored by his Dragons counterpart, went out limping towards the closing minutes of the ballgame after hurting his right ankle. (THE FREEMAN)