USC, SWU eye crucial lead

CEBU, Philippines – With the series tied at one game apiece, the Southwestern University Cobras and the University of San Carlos Warriors will surely wage an all-out war against each other as they shoot for a pivotal 2-1 lead in their best-of-five finals series in the 14th Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) men's basketball tournament today at the Cebu Coliseum.

The Cobras and the Warriors will slug it for the fifth time this season at 6:45 p.m., right after the University of the Visayas Green Lancers and the University of San Jose-Recoletos Jaguars lock up horns in an equally-important qualifying match for a spot in the PCCL (Philippine Collegiate  Champions League (PCCL) Sweet 16.

As predicted by some quarters, the series will go down-the-wire, mainly because of their even head-to-head record way back in the double round elimination stage.

The Cobras drew first blood, 69-67, but the Warriors charged back via a 57-56 cliffhanger to even things up with their former tormentors. Southwestern U again tamed USC during the series opener, 59-55, but the Warriors bounced back in style, pulling off what is by far their biggest and most decisive victory over the Cobras this season, 53-46, to reduce their title showdown into a best-of-three affair.

Cameroonian reinforcement Shooster Olago remains the most lethal weapon in USC's offensive arsenal. The All-Star MVP is so consistent with his game, both on offense and defense, that make him a very difficult puzzle for the Cobras to solve.

Olago's fellow foreign cager Espoir Toyambi also performs an impressive supporting role, in the same way with local players such as Charles Pepito, Victor Rabat, Keifer Lim, Nico Magat, and Christian Laude among others that truly made the vastly-improved Warriors a force to reckon with.

After their setback in the opener, the Warriors of coach Junthy Valenzuela did their homework well. They made the necessary adjustments in Game 2 with much emphasis on defense that heavily grounded the Cobras.

Testament to that, SWU's star playmaker Mark Jayven Tallo laid one big fat egg, while Jovanie Luz was held off to only five points after scoring 15 in Game 1.

Overall, limiting the highly explosive Cobras to a season-low 46-point output is already a remarkable achievement for the Warriors, who are looking to end their 56-year title drought in local basketball history.

For the Cobras under the command of coach Yayoy Alcoseba, Landry Sanjo and Bendley Valdor should step up bigtime. They must provide a strong leadership to electrify their local teammates.

Tallo, being the heart and soul of the Cobras, couldn't afford to lock himself on the offensive freezer, especially now that they heading into a crucial battle where the stakes are high.

The likes of Bernie Bregondo, JC Parker, Mike Holper, and Adam Mohammed should also deliver the goods as the Cobras truly need great team effort to vanquish a cohesive fighting force such as the Warriors.

Game Four is set on Saturday, while the do-or-die Game Five, if necessary, is scheduled on Sunday. — with Gabby G. Malagar (FREEMAN)