Bogo City teams pull off  another CESAFI twinkill

CEBU, Philippines —  Teams from Bogo City in northern Cebu scored another resounding twinkill, with the Cebu Roosevelt Memorial Colleges (CRMC) Mustangs and City of Bogo Science and Arts Academy (CBSAA) Trailblazers prevailing over separate foes in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) Season 23 Men’s Basketball Tournament on Thursday, November 16, at the Cebu Coliseum.

The Mustangs suffered a monumental endgame collapse but turned to the heroics of Paolo Dalumpines, Keaton Clyde Taburnal and James Gelig to hold off the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Wildcats, 78-73.

“It was a great experience being a head coach of CESAFI 2023. Naa ang kaba, kalipay ug kaguol labi na moligas but it the end nagamit namo among key: heart + mind + fun = success,” said assistant coach Lee Mhar Dahil, who called the shots for the Mustangs with head coach Paul Alelu Flores on leave.

The Mustangs surged to a commanding 17-point advantage, 69-52, on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Taburnal to close the third period but the Wildcats opened the final quarter with a stunning 14-0 blitz before eventually seizing the upper hand for the first and only time, 72-71, in the last three-minute mark.

Dalumpines, who ended CRMC’s six-minute scoring drought, scored on another crucial layup to put the Mustangs back on top, 73-72, with less than two minutes left to play. Gelig then drilled in a back-breaking triple before Taburnal hit a game-closing basket with 20 seconds remaining to seal their five-point escape.

Dalumpines produced a dazzling all-around performance for CRMC with 22 points, four rebounds, seven assists and five steals.

Taburnal chipped in 16 points, eight rebounds and one assist while Gelig finished with eight points and five boards as the Mustangs forged a three-way tie with the Benedicto College Cheetahs and the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors just outside the Final Four spot with identical 4-4 records.

While the Mustangs had a tough time against the Wildcats, the Trailblazers easily breezed through their fourth straight victory with a 95-62 thrashing of the University of San Carlos (USC) Baby Warriors.

Franz Albao cashed in 18 points, Karl Dosdos tallied 16 markers, while Felix Rogasajo and Anfernny Illustrisimo each scored 12 as the Trailblazers offsetted their lackadaisical start of the season with great resolve on the way to even their record at 4-4.

The likes of Franz Aballe, Vinz Rivera, June Brian Alipato, and Kyle Barrieta also made their presence felt, combining for 32 points for the Trailblazers, who got off to an explosive 34-7 start that left the Baby Warriors groping for form in the dark the rest of the way.

CBSAA upped its lead to 52-22 at halftime before blowing it further to an imposing 40-point bulge after three quarters, 78-38.  The rest, they say, is history.