Cesafi finalists forge another head-to-head clash after ousting respective foes in NCC hoop

Game today:

Cebu Coliseum

5:30 pm – SWU vs UV

Cebuano basketball fans are in for an early Christmas present after the reigning Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) champions University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers and age-old rivals Southwestern University (SWU) Cobras forged a crucial match-up for the right to advance to the Final Four of the 2013 National Collegiate Championship.

SWU and UV finalized their rematch after beating their respective opponents in the stepladder phase last night at the Cebu Coliseum.

The Green Lancers leaned on a terrific second half performance to down the Holy Trinity College (HTC) Wildcats, 100-80 while the Cobras got some crucial contributions from Daryl Goloran and Monbert Arong to edge the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors, 82-73.

SWU is aiming to regain its supremacy from the ashes of its surprising 2-3 series loss to UV in the Cesafi finals last month. The Cobras were ahead 2-0 in that affair before the Lancers mounted a ferocious comeback capped by a pulse-pounding 64-62 victory in the deciding Game 5.

The win by the Cobras was not handed to them so easily by the Warriors.

SWU led by as many as 18 but the Warriors clawed their way back and were just within one, 66-67, when Goloran scored on a putback and Arong, who had been playing hideously all-game long, sank a three-pointer that gave them a 72-66 lead with 3:04 left.

USC’s Ian Ortega scored on a drive but Goloran imposed himself down low once more, scoring a free throw and a layup before Arong converted a fade away jumper for a 77-68 cushion. A freethrow by Victor Rabat and a lay-in by Ortega got the Warriors within six, 71-77, but Arong calmly sank four freethrows down the stretch to put on the finishing touches on the win.

Arong ended up with 18 markers but it was Cesafi MVP Mark Jayven Tallo who paced SWU with 19 points.

In the first game, UV fell behind by as many as 10 before uncorking 54 points in the second half to blow out HTC.

The Green Lancers drilled in seven three-pointers in the third canto, all part of a 31-point period that turned a 36-45 deficit into a 67-66 lead. Franz Arong led the Lancers with 21 points.