Cobras, Magis Eagles go for jugular

CEBU, Philippines — The Southwestern University (SWU)-Phinma Cobras and the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) Magis Eagles are expected to go all-out for the title clincher but they must brace for a great comeback fight from their rivals in Game 2 of the best-of-three 19th Cebu Schools Atletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) men’s basketball finals at the Cebu Coliseum today.

Southwestern U hopes to end their five-year title drought when they tackle the three-time defending champions University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers at 6:45 p.m., right after the Magis Eagles seek to regain the throne they last held three years ago as they clash with the University of Cebu (UC) Baby Webmasters in the 5:15 p.m. opener.

Behind the clutch hits of their Senegalese reinforcement Lamine Thiam and sharp-shooting guard Shaquille Imperial in the closing seconds of the contest, the Cobras downed the Lancers, 70-66, in the series opener last Monday night to move one step away from their first taste of championship success since 2014. 

SWU Cobras coach Mike Reyes said their good ball movement and stifling defense powered them to the crucial win and that they will follow the same fight plan as they try to score a sweep just like what they did to the Lancers in clinching their first ever CESAFI Partner’s Cup last summer.

Aside from Thiam and Imperial, the Cobras must also rely on William Polican, Red Cachuela, Dyll Roncal, Gerald Fernandez and Harvey Kent Sanchez to accomplish their daunting mission of ending UV’s three-year reign.

The Cobras, however, must be extra cautious as the Lancers are best known for their mantra of ‘fighting best when the odds are greatest’.

And the Cobras have one valid reason why they should be wary of the Lancers in their fourth meeting this season where the stakes are higher.

In the 2013 CESAFI Finals, the Lancers rallied from a 0-2 series deficit to topple the Cobras, then led by league MVP Mark Jayven Tallo, in a decisive Game 5 on the way to pocket their 10th title since the league’s inception in 2001.At that time though, Reyes was still assistant of then SWU coach Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba.

As they head to the battlefield again, the Cobras must prepare themselves for one big war as UC coach Gary Cortes will surely pull all the tricks up his sleeves in an effort to keep the Lancers’ four-peat dreams alive.

For them to send the series into its full route, the Lancers must draw sterling performances from their foreign  student-athlete Lass Coulibally and their platoon of big men in Jan Monic Soliva, Jancork Cabahug, Michael Maestre and Ted Saga.

UV’s three-guard combo in Gileant Delator, Sheldon Gahi and Gabriel Cometa should also step up big time and offset their paltry showing in Game 1 if they want to extend the Lancers’ dominance to four years.

In the juniors division, the Magis Eagles hope to finish off the defending champions Baby Webmasters and snare their first crown since 2016.

The Ateneans drew first blood in the series, thanks to the endgame heroics of LA Casinillo whose 10 rapid-fire points and two free throws with only 5.7 seconds left to play lifted the Magis Eagles to an emphatic 74-69 victory over the Baby Webmasters.

“We’re not really thinking about scoring a sweep,” said SHS-Ateneo coach Rommel Rasmo. “It’s more on the determination and will to win of my players. What’s important is we just want to win.”