Games today (Cebu Coliseum)
SEMIFINALS
5 p.m. – UV vs. CIT-U (Jrs.)
6:30 p.m. – SWU vs. USJ-R (Srs.)
THE Southwestern University Cobras embark on a long journey which they hope will end with a championship berth but find their way blocked by the University of San Jose-Recoletos Jaguars as the two powerhouse squads meet today in the semifinals of the 12th Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (CESAFI) men’s basketball tournament at the Cebu Coliseum.
It has been a season of discontent for last year’s runners-up, the Cobras, which ended the preliminary round with an even 3-3 record, a far cry from the visions of dominance pundits had for them before the season started. Interestingly, all three losses come from the very same teams that are in the semifinal round.
SWU will try to pay one team back in USJ-R today especially after the Jaguars pulled the rug from under them, 72-80, in their lone meeting in the elimination round. The Cobras led by 10 in the third period of that match only to get out-muscled and out-hustled down the stretch by the reserves of the Jaguars.
The good news for SWU today though is the expected return of star rookie forward, Cameroonian, Ben Mbala, who missed the all-star game last weekend because of a knee injury he suffered in the quarterfinals. Mbala, along with fellow national, Justin Aboude, will have their work cut out for them as they do battle against the talented frontcourt of USJ-R, namely Abulaiz Sulaiman and Miguel Tabaloc.
In the juniors division, the defending champions, University of the Visayas Baby Lancers, look to continue their mastery of the Cebu Institute of Technology-University in their semis game today. UV bested CIT-U, 86-77, in the prelims with league MVP, Paul Desiderio, scoring a whopping 40 points.