CEBU, Philippines — The Benedicto College (BC) Cheetahs bolstered their bid for the top spot and a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four while the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors exited with grace in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) Season 24 men’s basketball tournament on Saturday, November 23, at the Cebu Coliseum.
Denrick Orgong and Junil Bulan cracked double-doubles as the Cheetahs clamped down the Cebu Institute of Technology-University’s offense in the last five minutes of the contest on the way to a 76-59 rout of the Wildcats.
Orgong bagged 16 points and 14 rebounds while Bulan added 14 points and 13 boards laced with two assists.
Kenneth Babalcon chipped in with 12 markers on top of five rebounds, three assists and four steals for the Cheetahs, who improved to 6-1 and could clinch the No.1 seed if they beat the 7-0 University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters in the last day of elimination round on Tuesday, November 26.
The Cheetahs were ahead by only five, 62-57, midway in the final quarter but closed the match with a 14-2 bomb to thrash the Wildcats by 17 points.
On the other hand, Kyle Maglinte erupted with 27 points spiked with nine rebounds, two assists and two steals while Bryle Puntual banged in 20 points, two rebounds and two assists as the USC Warriors upended the Cebu Roosevelt Memorial Colleges (CRMC) Mustangs, 94-88, for a jubilant farewell in the league this season with a 2-6 record.
In the juniors division, the two-time defending champions Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) Magis Eagles and the University of the Visayas (UV) Baby Lancers headed to their semifinal showdown with confidence-boosting wins.
Jelomar Rota came up with a monster double-double show of 21 points and 19 rebounds as the Magis Eagles downed the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Panthers, 58-52, while the Baby Lancers delivered a balanced offensive performance with seven players hitting double figures in their 112-65 blowout of the CRMC Baby Mustangs.
The Magis Eagles finished the classification stage as the second ranked qualifier with a 10-1 slate, giving them a twice-to-beat edge over the 9-2 Baby Lancers in their highly anticipated semis duel on Thursday, November 28. — (FREEMAN)