SHS-Ateneo, USC clinch titles

CEBU, Philippines — It was a case of new faces and not the “usual” as Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu and University of San Carlos bagged the championships of the 32nd SBP Passerelle Tournament backed My Milo at the Cebu Coliseum last Sunday.

SHS-Ateneo last won an SBP division championship in 2011 and ended the drought in dominating fashion as they defeated University of the Visayas, 67-39.

Meanwhile, USC’s last championship in the Passerelle division was in 2013, and they also ended their dry run through a thrilling 66-62 win over SHS-Ateneo de Cebu.

SHS-Ateneo’s big three of Jared Bahay, Kristian Michael Porter and Stephen Joash Cutamura gave UV too much to handle as they spearheaded the win.

After taking an 11-5 lead at the end of a slow and tentative first quarter, the Magis Eagles built a 23-11 halftime lead behind Bahay’s 12 points in the period. Cutamora then took over in the third quarter with nine points as they stretched the lead to 41-23.

It was Porter’s turn to shine in the fourth period, scoring all of his 13 points to seal the win. The SHS-Ateneo defense was also stingy, limiting UV to single digit outputs in the first two quarters, setting the tone for the whole game.

Bahay led the team with 17, while Porter had 13 and Cutamora made 12. Daniel Padilla led UV with 11 points as Jaypee Lazarte shared ten. Bahay was named MVP of the tournament.

Earlier, Don Bosco defeated USC, 64-20, to bag third place.

While the SBP game’s outcome was clear by the third quarter, the Passerelle match was close and thrilling, with tournament MVP Reinhard Jumamoy delivering the clutch baskets to give USC the championship.

SHS-Ateneo took early leads of 14-11 and 27-22 after the first two periods. Jumamoy made his presence felt immediately in the third quarter leading USC to a 46-43 lead by the end of the period where he scored six points and dished off assists for his teammates notably Justin Betinol who had 10 third quarter points.

The fourth quarter was as close as it could get.

SHS-Ateneo rallied to take the lead at 53-52 with 4:08 remaining in the game. But Jumamoy gave the lead back to USC with two free throws and assisted on others to stretch the lead to 60-55, 1:09 left. Chico Chan cut the lead to just one, 60-59 on free throws and a bucket with 56 seconds remaining.

On cue, Jumamoy drilled a bank shot triple from beyond the arc for a 63-59 lead, 31 ticks left. Not to be outdone, Chan sank a three-pointer himself to slice the lead to 63-62, 25 seconds remaining. Jumamoy was there again for a nifty drive and lay-up, 65-62, 12 seconds left. After SHS-Ateneo misfired, Rauric Panimdim canned a free throw for the final score.

Jumamoy, who was named MVP of the tournament, led USC with 14 points. Panimdim added 11 while Betinol had 10. Chan led SHS-Ateneo with 13 while LA Casinillo had 11.

The Sportsmanship Awards were given to USC and SHS-Ateneo de Cebu. This is given to the teams that best displayed the spirit of sportsmanship over-all, including behavior on the court and at the stands.

The SHS-Ateneo de Cebu SBP and USC Passerelle teams will represent Cebu in the Visayas Regional Finals which will be held October 7 to 8 in Iloilo. They will face the champions from the other areas: St. John’s Institute of Bacolod and Hua Siong College of Iloilo for the SBP division; and Bacolod Tay Tung High School and Hua Siong College of Iloilo for the Passerelle division. The Roxas champions will be determined this weekend. (FREEMAN)