Green Lancers rout Warriors to gain share of Cesafi lead

The University of the Visayas Green Lancers turned in another dominant performance as they completed a 98-76 rout of the University of San Carlos Warriors in the 12th Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. men’s basketball tournament last night at the Cebu Coliseum.

The Lancers now tote a 3-0 (win-loss) record to share the lead in the standings with  the University of San Jose-Recoletos Jaguars.

They blew the Warriors away in the second period with a 12-0 run that was fueled by baskets from Cameroonian player Steve Akomo and wily lefty guard John Abad.

Wowie Escosio topped UV with 21 points, nine rebounds, two assists and a block while Jerome Silva tallied 17. Akomo ended up with 12 points, eight boards and five blocked shots while Phil Mercader and Eman Calo added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

UV  held a 51-32 lead at halftime as Mercader hit a layup at the buzzer.

Prized rookie Escosio imposed his will in the shaded lane as he abused the undersized USC frontline with eight straight points for a 64-38 in the third.

The Warriors had their moments of brilliance behind the play of Nilton Otida, who anchored a 13-2 run that got them within 14, 54-68. But that was all there was to it as UV ran away with the lead, which grew to a high of 28 in the fourth.

Otida led USC with 21 points while Stephen Que chipped in 17. The Warriors fell to 1-2.

In juniors play, the UV Baby Lancers and the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles padded their records to 4-0 after they won over their respective opponents.

The reigning champions Baby Lancers outlasted the Cebu Eastern College Dragons, 83-72, behind the 31-point performance of MVP Paul Desiderio.

The Magis Eagles, on the other hand, destroyed the University of Cebu, 86-62, with  Dawn Ochea  tallying 25 points, 17 rebounds, two steals and a block.  The Cebu Institute of Technology-University defeated USJ-R, 102-66.