SHS-Ateneo, USC-South rule in CYBL D-League

CEBU, Philippines - Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) collared two age-group championships, while the University of San Carlos-South Campus bagged one title at the finals weekend of the CYBL D-League 2013 held at the Magis Eagles Arena.

SHS-AdC leaned on a fourth-quarter uprising to upend USC North, 59-49, and snare the Under 10 division crown, while its Under 15 counterparts SHS-AdC-C surprised University of the Visayas-B (UV), 42-37, to clinch the Under 15 division title. USC South-B overcame a rallying Colegio de la Inmaculada-Mandaue  (CIC-M) side to eke out a 57-49 win and grab the Under 12 division championship.

All championship games were nip and tuck with the fourth quarter serving as the crucial turning points.

In the Under 10 final, the U10 Magis Eagles took a 15-14 lead after one quarter behind Robert John Mayam, but USC North surged to a 22-19 halftime lead with Ben Ferraren and Cenabre taking charge, limiting SHS-AdC to only four second period points.

SHS-AdC took a slim 35-34 edge at the end of the third period with Aaron Abunawan taking over with 14 points in that stretch. SHS-AdC then went to its full court press to stifle USC North and launch a 10-4 blast for breathing room, 45-38, at the final five-minute mark, a lead that was maintained until the final buzzer.

The trio of Abunawan, Uriel Avila and Joseph Dytian combined for 22 points in the period to seal the win. Abunawan led SHS-AdC with 23 points. Ferraren led USC North with eight.

In the Under 12, USC South-B appeared cruising to a comfortable win after taking the first period, 16-6, and a halftime lead of 30-18. But rookie team CIC-M staged a huge third-quarter rally to slash the lead to 41-39 going into the final period.

Matthew Ponteras, who led the second quarter set with 10 points, then stepped up to score nine straight points to start the fourth quarter that quashed the CIC-M rally. He led USC South-B with 19 points. Zechar Tugonon and Ramon Singson had eight points each for CIC-M.

The Under 15 championship was close from start to finish. While SHS-AdC controlled the tempo through the first three periods, UV-B would stage a big comeback in the fourth and nearly stole the game away. After taking leads of 6-2, 18-7 in the first two periods, SHS-AdC’s lead was trimmed to 31-25 as UV started its rally.

UV even pulled closed at 36-35 with three minutes left to play, but Daniel “Shaq” Senosa made two free throws for a 38-35 lead. Jao Celerinos then scored on a lay-up to ice the game at 40-35 for AHS-AdC. Senosa led a balanced attack of the Team C of the Magis Eagles with eight points. Minerva had 11 points to lead UV-B.

The CYBL D-League is a second tier league for developmental teams. It is designed to provide competition exposure to developmental players at the grassroots level. This year’s third conference drew 34 teams in the three different age groups. It closed the CYBL year for 2013 that included the ThreeSixty Pharmacy Cup 2013 which took place from January to March and the CYBL VISMIN Goodwill Games in May. Meanwhile, the CYBL launches today its calendar for 2014. (FREEMAN)