30 July 2019
CEBU CITY—The Southwestern University (SWU)-Phinma Cobras will contend for the crown after they mangled the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters, 84-72, in their semifinal showdown of the 2019 Cesafi Partners’ Cup last Tuesday, July 30, at the Cebu Coliseum.
The Cobras will next play the reigning champions University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers in a best-of-three championship series starting August 2.
Armed with a twice-to-beat incentive, the Cobras pulled away in the third quarter behind Red Cachuela and Gerald Fernandez, who conspired in helping their team build a 66-56 cushion.
The lead ballooned to 14 early in the fourth quarter before the Cobras delivered the finishing touches on a 9-2 run that saw them erecting a commanding 81-65 lead in the last four minutes of the contest.
Lamine Thiam spearheaded SWU’s big win by scattering 24 points.
It was a balanced attack for the Cobras as Shaquille Imperial, Red Cachuela and Dyll Roncal all wound up in double figures with 15, 14 and 13 markers, respectively.
Tony Sesay and Tristan Albina topped the Webmasters with 18 points each, while Shane Menina contributed 17.
Baby Webmasters force sudden-death
In the high school division, the UC Baby Webmasters lived to fight another day after they took down the twice-to-beat University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars, 66-60.
The Webmasters wasted a 43-29 lead but recover in time to force a do-or-die match.
The Baby Jaguars clawed back from double-digit deficits and took a 54-53 lead in the payoff canto.
Vanvan Sevilejo and Isiah Hontiveros came to the rescue for UC as they pumped in crucial hits, allowing the Baby Webmasters to regain the lead, 60-54.
USJ-R threatened at 58-60 but UC ended the match with a 6-2 run to escape with the critical win.
Sevillo paced UC with 18 points while Luther Leonard had 16.
Follow the writer on Twitter: @burnsports
