SHS-Ateneo leads CYBL winners

CEBU, Philippines – Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu’s youth teams led a host of winners at the resumption of the CYBL D-League 2015 at the SHS-Ateneo Mango Avenue campus over the weekend. SHS-Ateneo’s Under 10 team overcame a tough Coach K squad, 41-22, while the SHS-Ateneo Under 12 team nipped Thumbs Up, 30-28 in an Under 12 Division 1 game. It was a day of first game winners for the other age groups.

University of Southern Philippines Foundation debuted in the Under 15 Division 1 with a 63-38 win over Ormoc. Likewise, Pope John Seminary 1 won over Ormoc, 66-49. In Under 12 Division 2 games, St. Alphonsus Catholic School debuted with a 71-21 win over Ormoc. Ormoc scraped past SHS-Ateneo 2 in the other game.

In the Under 15 Division 2, Thumbs Up 2 defeated the ANS Girls team, 68-56. USC North-B outscored Coach K, 53-42. UV Mandaue nipped Mt. Olives Christian Academy, 40-38.

In the lone game of the Under 18 Division 2, Southwestern University kicked off its campaign with a 63-56 win over UV Mandaue.

The CYBL D-League kicked off last weekend with some 75 teams seeing action in four age groups. The main objective of the league is to provide a venue for basketball teams to get the much-needed exposure and experience of a tournament or league game.

Now on its eighth year, the CYBL has become the breeding ground for Cebu’s up-and-coming collegiate and high school players. Among the UAAP players who played in the CYBL and saw action over the weekend include UP’s Paul Desiderio, Janjan Jaboneta, Pio Longga and Henry Asilum; NU’s Dave Yu; UST’s Zachy Huang. Other UAAP players are FEU’s RR Pogoy and Ron Dennison; Adamson’s Dawn Ochea and Gerald Fernandez.

CESAFI champion USC also boasts of CYBL products like Kiefer Lim, Ian Ortega, Gio Laguyo, Mavii Suarez and Dolan Adlawan. On the UV side were Jun Manzo and Leonard Santillan. CESAFI Mythical Five member RJ Dinolan also played in the CYBL. (FREEMAN)