Baby Jaguars roar to glory

CEBU, Philippines — The University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Baby Jaguars rode on an amazing second-quarter explosion by Ryzel Abatayo and a solid endgame finish to crush the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) Magis Eagles, 85-68, in the deciding match of  their best-of-three finals series to win their first title in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc.

(CESAFI) Partner’s Cup yesterday at the Cebu Coliseum.

In a masterpiece performance, Abatayo dropped 19 points spiked with five 3-pointers in a sizzling 21-12 run at the final 5:18 mark of the second period that turned USJ-R’s 15-21 deficit into a 36-33 advantage entering the locker room.

“This championship is really an answered prayers for us,” said Abatayo, who tallied a game-high 28 points. “In the second quarter, I feel that someone has to step up because my teammates were a bit pressured. Thankfully, Kevin (Guibao) and I delivered when it mattered most for our team.”

Guibao, who stoked the early offensive fire for the Baby Jaguars, came through  with 21 points, including five straight in an 11-1 blitz that gave them a 13-point lead, 47-34, with just a minute gone by in the third canto. He later romped off with the Most Valuable Player award for his all-around hardcourt brilliance.

 Personifying the Magis spirit, the Ateneo Hearters fought back with fire in their eyes to pull within just two points, 62-64, with still 5:42 left to play.

However, that proved to be the best the Magis Eagles could muster as Kendrick Abarquez, Guibao and Keizel Gaviola ratttled 10 straight points to give the Baby Jaguars a 74-62 breather with only 3:09 to go.

After a basket by Ateneo’s LA Casinillo, Gaviola hit another long-range bomb from beyond the arc before Santos Go completed a 3-point play to seal USJ-R’s ground-breaking triumph with an insurmountable 81-66 edge under the last one-minute zone of the contest.

Gaviola banged in 13 markers while Go added 10 points as the Baby Jaguars snared their fist crown in a CESAFI tournament since 2002.

“It’s really our target from the very beginning. I’m confident that if all my players just have good health, we have a very bright chance of winning the championship,” said Baby Jaguars coach Edito Salacut. “I’m glad that everybody did their part, from defense to offense. Most importantly, we prayed hard for this and we thank God for helping us accomplish the desire of our hearts.”

Casinillo tossed in 15 points, while Ariel Dinglasan and Joey Villamayor cashed in 13 and 10 points, respectively, for the Magis Eagles, who can still hold their heads up high in the face of defeat.

What the Magis Eagles have reached is already a feat in itself.

They were the lowest qualifiers in the semifinals and had to beat the twice the then undefeated topseed ARQ Builders-University of the Visayas (UV) Baby Lancers before powering their way to the championship where they put up a gallant stand, albeit in a losing cause against the Baby Jaguars.