Codilla’s triple powers Lancers past Jaguars

CEBU, Philippines - The University of the Visayas prevailed over the University of San-Jose Recoletos in another wild finish, thanks to Alfred Codilla's buzzer-beating triple in the final seven seconds of the contest that bridged the Lancers to a repeat 78-74 performance over the gritty Jaguars in the 15th Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. men's basketball tournament last night at the Cebu Coliseum.

The thrill emanating from their rematch was reminiscent of their previous meeting last August 6 wherein the Lancers did a Houdini-like escape, overhauling a seven-point deficit with a little over a minute left in the game on the way to pull off an emphatic 89-82 win over the Jaguars.

This time around, the Lancers dictated the pace of the match from the onset but were made to labor hard in the face of a spirited challenge by the Jaguars.

The climax of the heart-pounding duel came when the Jaguars, after trailing by as many as 11 points, staged a daring fightback in the windup to forge a 74-all deadlock with only 31 seconds left to play.

The ensuing sequence left both sides and their small throng of fans literally holding on to their breaths. As Jun Kent Manzo attracted USJ-R's defenders while going for a baseline drive, the sophomore guard wisely passed the ball to Codilla, who was left wide open from beyond the arc.

With their shotclock winding down, Codilla quickly flicked a 3-pointer that gently swished through the net at the full-house buzzer that caused their bench led by coach Gary Cortes to burst into frenzied celebration.

USJ-R's hopes of pulling an upset further vanished in thin air as Mark Labares was called for a crucial five-second violation at the inbound with only five seconds remaining.

Still, a little ray of hope shone over the Jaguars after Ricky Dyn Peromingan made a crucial steal but he hurriedly fired a 3-pointer that went airball with only 1.8 seconds left, thus, spelling their doom.

Despite committing a string of errors and making forced shots that did not go in, Manzo still topscored for the Lancers with 13 points. Steve Cerdick Akomo finished with 12 points, including back-to-back monster slams in a 7-0 run that restored the Lancers' 73-65 lead after the Jaguars closed within just a hairline, 65-66, at the final 7:43 mark.

Josue Segumpan cashed in 11 points, nine in the first period that helped the Lancers establish their biggest lead at 25-14 cushion. They now hold a 6-2 win-loss record, while the Jaguars suffered their sixth loss in seventh starts that somehow spoiled a sparkling 25-point show by Ralph Dinolan. (FREEMAN)