UC Webmasters roll to fourth straight win (Final Four race heats up in juniors division)

CEBU, Philippines — The University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters breezed through their fourth straight victory with  a 57-46 whacking of the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) Season 24 basketball tournament on Sunday, October 20, at the Cebu Coliseum.

Interestingly, no one cracked double figures as the Webmasters fortified their position on top of the college leaderboard with a perfect 4-0 record.

The Webmasters got off to a sizzling 23-8 start that set up the stage for their wire-to-wire triumph.

Sustaining their momentum, the Webmasters enjoyed their biggest lead at 22 points, 49-27, early in the final period.

James Paolo Gica was the lone double-digit scorer of the game with 12 points laced with seven rebounds for the Warriors, who fell to 1-5.

In high school play, the two-time defending champions Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) Magis Eagles and the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Baby Jaguars both tallied their fifth win.

Coriantumr Cabantog fired 20 points on top of eight rebounds while Froilan Maglasang added 11 points as the Magis Eagles overhauled a 14-point deficit in the first half to cool down the Cebu Eastern College (CEC) Dragons, 74-60.

On the other hand, Kyle Mathew Barrieta and Shaun Keizer Grava scored 11 points each while combining for 12 rebounds, five assists, and four steals to power the Baby Jaguars to a 61-52 beating of the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Baby Panthers.

The Magis Eagles and the Baby Jaguars, thus, forged a four-way tie with the University of the Visayas (UV) Baby Lancers and the UC Baby Webmasters on top of the juniors division standings on identical 5-1 records, making it a close Final Four race with the 5-2 CEC Dragons just one step behind them. — (FREEMAN)