Lancers face toughest hurdle in quest for 8th CESAFI title

CEBU - The formidable University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers face the hardest obstacle in their quest for an unprecedented eight straight championship as they take on the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars today in Game 1 of the best-of-five finals in the 8th Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) basketball season at the Cebu Coliseum.

Games today

(Cebu Coliseum) Game 1, Finals

5:00 pm UV vs. UC (Jrs.)

6:30 pm UV vs. USJ-R (Srs.)

Prior to that, the UV Baby Lancers have their own tough business to take care as they start their title defense against bitter rival University of Cebu (UC) Junior Webmasters in their own race-to-3 series for the secondary crown.

The Lancers are surely not taking the Jaguars for granted even if they prevailed over the latter during their first meeting this season, 58-63. A lesson to be learned out of that hard-earned triumph is that they have to be extra cautious about USJ-R’s capability to hang on tough especially at crunchtime.

With at least four USJ-R players ripe for the picking and are hungry to taste a championship now playing their last season in the league, the Lancers are in for one big war in what is anticipated to be one of the most exciting finale in CESAFI history.

One of the aces in USJ-R’s card, of course, is commercial veteran Luther Luke Justiniani, who is blessed with two deadly shooting hands that are capable of exploding at any given time.

Also, the Lancers should expect a highly physical game that will be thrown by the Jaguars on their tower of power, the 6-foot-11 behemoth Gregory Slaughter. There is no other way to stop Slaughter than to gang him up on defense.

Aside from Slaughter, the other potential headaches for the Jaguars are the likes of Edrian Lao and Bonifer Sendrijas as well as peppery guards Von Harry Lanete, Ritchum Dennison, Chris Victor Diputado and Harlow Chad Villanil.

The Jaguars, on the other hand, must play smart on offense and have their outside shooting gunship ready for the 40-minute battle.

Armand Ponce is expected to show his best for the Jaguars in the company of Lyndon Gudez, Jabe Delfino, Ranulfo Malinao, Mannye Gabas and rookie Kurt Amores.

In the juniors side, the Baby Lancers rely on the tandem of John Michael Auditor and Arvie Cabañero to size up UC’s juggernauts of Roger Pogoy, Christian Taboada, Alfred Codilla, Zandro Palileo and John Marty Pearce.

Meanwhile, the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors defeated the UC Webmasters, 85-79, in Game 1 of their best-of-three battle for third place. - THE FREEMAN