Cheetahs sprint to best ever 3-0 start in CESAFI

CEBU, Philippines — The Benedicto College (BC) Cheetahs stretched their unbeaten streak to three games in a row with a 63-56 beating of the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu Fighting Maroons in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc.(CESAFI) Season 24 basketball tournament on Tuesday, October 15, at the Cebu Coliseum.

Junil Bulan dished out a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds laced with two assists and three steals while Denrick Orgong added 11 points, three rebounds and one assist as the Cheetahs of coach BJ Murillo coasted to their best ever start since joining Cebu’s premier inter-school sports league just last year.

The Cheetahs engaged in a neck and neck battle with the Fighting Maroons for most of the way but pulled away down the stretch to keep their undefeated record intact that saw them joining the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters on top of the college division leaderboard with identical 3-0 records.

Ahead by only two, 45-43, after three quarters, the Cheetahs staged a sizzling 14-4 run to pad their lead to 12 points, 59-47, with only four minutes left to play.

The Fighting Maroons couldn’t get out of that deep hole on the way to suffer their third straight loss since hurdling their season-opening assignment against the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Wildcats.

Matthew Earl Flores had 14 points and 15 rebounds while AJ de los Santos cashed in 11 points in a losing effort for UP Cebu.

In high school play, the Grand Slam-seeking Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) Magis Eagles annihilated the University of San Carlos (USC) Baby Warriors, 88-63, for their fought straight win.

The Magis Eagles greeted the match with a 16-0 blast, which they parlayed into a 25-4 advantage after the first 10 minutes of play that sent the hapless Baby Warriors staggering the rest of the way.

Alden Paul Cainglet and Jelomar Rota combined for 29 points, four rebounds, and four assists for the Magis Eagles, whose biggest lead stood at 33 points, 85-52, late in the lopsided contest.

Froilan Maglasang netted 12 points, six rebounds, and five assists, Coriantumr Cabantog scored 11, while Lars Fjellvang produced a double-double show of 10 points and 14 rebounds to help the Magis Eagles raise their record to 4-1 in a tie with their former tormentor University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Baby Jaguars.

Xian Garcia dropped 22 points on top of five rebounds, one assist, and three steals for the Baby Warriors. Neil Ibarita posted 13 markers while Brent Darios Bihag had 10 points but to no avail as they remained listless in five games.