UV, USJ-R nip rivals in SBP tilt

CEBU, Philippines – It was a day of close wins in the BEST SBP Passerelle Tournament sponsored by Milo, as the University of the Visayas squeaked past Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, 42-36, at the SHS-Ateneo de Cebu Mango Avenue Campus Gym, while University of San Jose-Recoletos nipped Don Bosco Technology Center, 32-31, at the Recoletos Coliseum.

In a game that would determine positioning for spots in the playoffs, UV leaned on a big third quarter, then weathered an endgame SHS-Ateneo rally  to take second place with a 2-1 record.

The Magis Eagles enjoyed slight leads of 14-11 and 21-17 after the first two quarters before UV shifted to high gear in the third quarter. Kerk Louie Navarro and Sean Michael Salarza combined for 17 third period points to give UV a 38-29 lead going into the payoff period.

The Magis Eagles countered with a 7-0 run to close the gap to within two on Robert Mayam’s triple, 38-36, with 3:30 left in the game. After a series of turnovers on both sides, Christian Jay Alilin scored on a driving bank shot on the left side for a 40-36 lead with 1:14 ticks remaining.

Dirk Baguio then scored on a lay-up for the final tally. Navarro, Salarza and Alinin combined for 25 points to lead UV. Uriel Avila and Kristian Michael Porter led SHS-AdC with six points each.

In the other game, USJ-R came from behind and leaned on the shooting of Sebastian Bacus to score the nail-biting win. Don Bosco took a 22-10 halftime lead before Bacus stepped up with all of USJ-R’s 12 points in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 27-22.

The Baby Jaguars then leaned on the momentum from the rally to slowly but surely cut down the lead and score the win. Bacus  led USJ-R with 16 points, while Kristian Alejandrino led Don Bosco with seven.

USC sits atop the team standings with a 3-0 record, followed by UV (2-1), SHS-AdC (1-1), USJR (1-2) and DBTC (0-3). (FREEMAN)