CEBU, Philippines - Will the Southwestern University (SWU) Cobras keep their throne or the University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers fulfill their date with history?
This million-dollar question will be answered when the Cobras and the Lancers slug it out in the deciding match of their best-of-five finals series for the 13th Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) men's basketball crown this afternoon at the Cebu Coliseum.
Cebuano hoop buffs should brace for another dogfight when the bitter rivals collide on the hardcourt at 4 pm.
The Cobras won the first two games of the series by a margin of 12.5 points, even as they also extended their winning run against the Lancers to five games in a row this season.
Facing no tomorrow, the Lancers literally fought to their last breath in Game 3 where they labored hard to an 89-82 victory against the Cobras in double overtime, putting an end to SWU's amazing 14-game win streak including five against them.
Buoyed by that morale-boosting win, the Lancers again fought with fire in their belly in Game 4 where they pulled off a masterful repeat over Southwestern U, 71-66, to send the series into its full route.
Now that their heated showdown is down to a single game, the team with the bigger heart and stronger desire to win will surely have the last laugh.
And that's precisely the mindset of the contending coaches.
"Come Game 5, if we do not match the energy and desire to win, then we have no chance. It's not anymore about the X's and O's, it's more on mental focus and drive to want to win is all that matters most," said SWU coach Raul "Yayoy" D. Alcoseba.
The Cobras were not in their element in Game 4. Aside from misfiring their targets from beyond the arc with Mobert Arong going only 1-of-6, they also had terrible free-throwing shooting, making only 12 out of 28 attempts.
Star playmaker Mark Jayven Tallo exploded with a season-best 28 points, but SWU's offensive load was heavy enough for him to carry by his lonesome. Though their Cameroonian recruit nailed 17 markers, only five Cobras hit the scoring chart.
In sharp contast, the Lancers came out with their guns ablaze, bombarding the Cobras with six consecutive 3-point bombs including three straight by John Abad that gave them an early 39-23 lead. The Cobras staged a daring fightback to pull within just three, 66-69, but the Lancers hung on to a resounding five-point triumph.
Aside from Abad's splendid performance, Wowie Escocio also came out of his shell, churning out 14 points on a 7-of-9 shooting from the field, even as the Lancers also drew big games from their locals in Franz Arong, Alfred Codilla and rookie Leonard Santillan that complimented another huge effort by their Cameroonian stalwart Mike Harry Nzeusseu.
The Lancers now set their sights on writing history considering that no team has ever recovered from a 0-2 series deficit since the league's inception in 2000.
But even if they are fired-up following their back-to-back conquest of Southwestern U, UV head coach Felix "Donbel" Belano, Jr. reminded his players to keep their feet on the ground, not flirt with overconfidence, always keep their focus and execute their battleplan to the letter.
"Championship is earned the hardest way. We played like it was the end of times. Sir Eddie Gullas has emphasized that the Lancers should play like there is no tomorrow, play with a big heart defend courageously, and make the free throws," said Belano.
"Overconfidence has no space in one who vies for the crown. If our wins will get into four heads, then we are bound to fail. Overconfidence can ruin our team play and trust with each other. I know that basketball is a team effort, not one individual can carry a team on its own. There is no word 'I' in the team," he added. "We offer this game to God. Apart from him, we can do nothing."
In their storied chronicle in Cebu hoopdom, the Lancers have always been guided by the principle of "fighting back when the odds are greatest". The Cobras, for their part, have trumpeted "No Heart. No Chance" as their battlecry in the finals.
Whoever will live up to their inspiring thoughts is something that fans should watch out for today. (FREEMAN)