CEC, SHS-AdC start NBTC finals showdown

THE LONG-STANDING feud between the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles and the Cebu Eastern College Dragons spills over to the Seaoil NBTC Elite League as the two rivals battle one another in Game 1 of the best-of-three championship series, starting today at the City Sports Club Cebu basketball court.

The series is expected to be a rough-and-tumble affair especially with the bad blood brewing between the two teams.

They met for the juniors championship in the 2010 season of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (CESAFI) with CEC emerging victorious in emphatic fashion with a series sweep.

However, the Eagles paid back their nemesis as they ousted the Dragons in the semifinals of the Cesafi last year.

Earlier in this tournament, the Eagles gained a win over the Dragons, 78-59, but not before a near-brawl breaking out that saw SHS-AdC star center Dawn Ochea lose his tooth.

The Dragons are hungry for payback and they showed it against the University of the Visayas Baby Lancers, which they eliminated, 73-69, in the semifinals last Thursday.

In contrast, the Eagles have had plenty of rest and practice time after downing the University of Southern Philippines in their semis pairing, 79-61. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio