CEBU, Philippines — The Benedicto College (BC) Cheetahs outclassed the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Panthers, 72-61, to stay undefeated after four starts in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) Season 24 basketball tournament on Tuesday, November 5, at the Cebu Coliseum.
Serge Gabines produced a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds with one assist, two steals and two blocks as the Cheetahs remained at solo second place in college division standings with a clean 4-0 slate, just a full game behind the 5-0 University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters and surprisingly one step ahead of two-time defending champions University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers with a 5-1 mark.
Allen Angelo Alicando and Denrick Orgong combined for 23 points for the Cheetahs, who dictated the pace of the match since racing to a fast 12-6 start, which they padded to 58-46 after three quarters.
The biggest lead of the Cheetahs though stood at 15 points, 61-46, early in the final period.
Nicole Jay Cabanero and Kenneth Babalcon also made their presence felt, conniving for 21 rebounds to help the Cheetahs outmuscle the Panthers, 58-41, which they translated into a 19-6 advantage in second chance points and a huge 38-20 edge on points in the paint.
Neon Chavez finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals, while Tryke Gerome Pesa added 11 points but to no avail as the Panthers fell to 2-4.
As for the Cheetahs, they have to brace for their toughest challenge yet this season as they clash head-on with the Grand Slam-seeking UV Lancers in the main game of today’s double-header scheduled at 6:45 p.m.
In the juniors level, the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Baby Wildcats kept their Final Four hopes alive with a 72-64 drubbing of the BC Baby Cheetahs.
Kieff Russel Suarez netted 15 points, nine boards, two assists and two steals while Jan Eirrone Jordan chipped in with 10 markers for the Baby Wildcats, who are still in the mix of the very close race to the semifinals with a 5-3 win-loss record.