CEBU, Philippines — They may be down in their previous game but they are definitely not out.
The three-time defending champions University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers will try to get back on the winning track after absorbing a 64-72 shocker at the hands of the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters as they take on the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Wildcats in the seniors division of the 19th Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) men’s basketball tournament at the Cebu Coliseum today.
UV’s quest for a rare four-peat was rattled at this early stage of the three-month cage wars as the Lancers were stunned by the Webmasters, who ended their two-game slide in style last Sunday.
Lancers head coach Gary Cortes said they learned something out of that debacle but he feels there’s no need for them to press the panic button at this point.
“Defeat is part of all competition. The players played too aggressive to score,” said Cortes, referring to their eight-point loss at the hands of UC. “It’s just a lesson that no team is indespensable.”
Given their army of talents, the Lancers are heavily favored against CIT-U but they must be extra careful because the Wildcats, now a rejuvenated fighting machine under coach Edsel Say Vallena, are best known for their unpredictability and capacity to spring a surprise.
Last season, the Wildcats were responsible for inflicting UC’s first loss after a rousing 8-0 start. It did not only derailed the Webmasters’ campaign for an outright finals berth, it also led to the downfall of a strong contender tipped as the best challenger to UV’s throne.
This year, the Wildcats are coming off back-to-back setbacks against the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars and the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors but in both instances, they gave their foes a run for their money and the results were decided only in the closing minutes of the contest.
It remains to be seen though if the Wildcats, the only team without a foreign student-athlete in their roster, can pull an ace up their sleeves against the Lancers in their 6:45 p.m. battle.
In the 5:15 p.m. opener, the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Baby Panthers shoot for the solo lead in the juniors division as they go up against the UV Baby Lancers.
The Baby Panthers currently share the leadership with the UC Junior Webmasters with identical 2-0 records while the Baby Lancers hold an even 1-1 card.