WITH THE Southern Islands Championships of the Philippine Collegiate Champions League being moved to Cebu City, the defending Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) champions University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers and runners-up Southwestern University (SWU) Cobras are expected to forge another chapter in their bitter rivalry when competition commences on Monday at the Cebu Coliseum.
Barring any huge upsets, both UV and SWU are considered to be locked for the Southern Islands Championships finals slated Nov. 20.
Much will be at stake as the winner will earn a spot in the semifinals of the PCCL, joining early qualifier, the UAAP champions La Salle Green Archers. The other two spots will be awarded to the NCAA titlist and the Metro Manila-Luzon region champion.
The coaches of the two teams, namely UV’s Felix “Donbel” Belano and SWU’s Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba, are aware of the chances of meeting once again and have been earnestly preparing for that eventuality.
“I hope that we’ve learned our lesson and that we’ll be able to redeem ourselves,” said Alcoseba, whose Cobras team squandered a 0-2 lead in the Cesafi finals series and lost in Game 5, 62-64.
On the other hand, the Green Lancers’ spirits are flying high, said Belano, owing to the success that they had during the University Games in Bacolod, where they made it all the way to the semifinals.
“I think we’re much better now,” Belano said. “Mas taas ang kumpiyasa sa mga players because sa exposure sa UniGames.”
The games in the Southern Island Championships begin on Monday at 5:30 pm, with STI College battling Holy Trinity College. The second game, slated at 7:15 p.m. will see Cesafi third placers University of San Carlos taking on another qualifier from the Visayas region. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio