Dragons hand Greywolves second straight defeat

CEBU, Philippines - Harvey Sanchez charted 17 points capped by a crucial 3-pointer that keyed the Cebu Eastern College Dragons' pulsating 63-60 win over the Don Bosco Technology Center Greywolves in the juniors division of the 16th Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. men's basketball tournament yesterday at the Cebu Coliseum.             

Star center James Tempra added 16 points for the Dragons, whose gameplan flowed freely from the get go on the way to mount a nine-point lead after three quarters, 49-40.

Finding their offensive bearing, the Greywolves retaliated with a 12-3 run to equalize the count at 52-52 with 3:56 to go in the game. After Jean Bañez ended CEC's scoring drought, Sanchez sank a booming trey then Tempra converted a layup to give the Dragons a 59-54 breather.

Again, the Greywolves fought back with savvy to pull within just a hairline, 61-60, on a basket by Grenal Malubay with a minute left to play. The Bosconians had several chances to seize the driver's seat, and possibly change the course of the match in their favor, but were doomed by their costly errors in succession.

In the ensuing sequence, Dave Manlapat nailed two pressure-packed free throws with only seven ticks remaining in the gameclock to wrap up the Dragons' fourth victory in seven starts. They will face the University of Cebu Junior Webmasters in their final elimination round assignment on September 10.

Alje Mendez finished with 15 points, while Ken Gato and Malubay netted 11 and 10 markers, respectively, for the Greywolves, who crashed to their second straight loss after a record 4-0 start. Their first taste of defeat was a painful one, a 48-73 shellacking at the hands of three-time defending champions Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles.

The Greywolves hope to end their jinx when they battle the Cebu Institute of Technology-University Wildkittens this Tuesday at the Cebu Coliseum. They will clash with University of San Jose-Recoletos Baby Jaguars in their final match on September 10. (FREEMAN)