Dragons down Sacred Heart-Ateneo de Cebu to remain in hunt for juniors finals seat

The reigning champions Cebu Eastern College Dragons exorcised some of the demons that have been bothering them all-season long against Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu as they beat the Magis Eagles, 59-52, to stay alive in the semifinals of the juniors division of the 2011 Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. basketball tournament yesterday at the Cebu Coliseum.

The win was the Dragons’ first against the Eagles in this tournament after sweeping them in the finals last year to take the title. More importantly, it allowed them to extend their season for one more day as it nullified the Eagles’ twice-to-beat advantage and forced a do-or-die game on Oct. 25 for the right to face the top-seeded University of the Visayas Baby Lancers in the best-of-five finals.

The Dragons seized the advantage courtesy of two game-breaking runs—one at the end of the second period and another that bridged the third and fourth stanzas.

Lyle Sumayang paced the Dragons with 15 while Marvin Bauya added 13. Alfred Sedillo wound up with 11.

The Magis Eagles, which missed the services of ace point guard Henry Asilum because of the latter’s commitment to the national team, was led by the 13 each of Aaron Sing and Mavii Suarez.

The Dragons let loose a 10-0 run in the second quarter that was capped off by a booming three-pointer by Sedillo that gave CEC a 31-27 lead at halftime. They uncorked another 14-0 run in the fourth that gave them a comfortable 17-point lead.