UV makes Coca-Cola PBA hoop regionals

THE UNIVERSITY of the Visayas (UV) continued its ascendancy in local grassroots basketball as it claimed the championship in the Cebu leg of the Coca Cola PBA Youngstars Basketball Tournament by walloping the University of San Carlos North, 91-49, in the finals yesterday at the Aznar Coliseum.

The Cebu champion UV will now represent the province in the Visayas regional finals  slated May 19 and 20 in Bacolod. The Visayas champion moves on to the national finals on May 27 to June 1 in Manila.

UV led, 13-10, after the first period and was still up by a seven points, 32-25, at halftime. However, they blew USC North out of the water in the third stanza, which the Babay Lancers opened up with a scintillating 15-1 run.

At the helm of that run were Gerald Fernandez, Ralph Dinolan and John Escalona, who terrorized the passing lanes with lethal efficiency to pave the way for easy baskets.

Then came the incredible shooting of Leonard Santillan, who wowed everybody by making three straight three-point shots that completely blew the wind out of the sails of the Baby Warriors as he helped establish a 61-34 lead heading to the final frame.

Santillan put a stamp on his performance and the dominating victory by making the highlight play of the game late in the match, an emphatic tomahawk-slam dunk.

Santillan ended up with 22 markers while Dinolan and Fernandez added 19 and 18, respectively.

USC North was led by the 15 of Dolan Adlawan. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio