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The University of the Visayas Green Lancers did not let lightning strike twice as they rebuffed the University of Southern Philippines Foundation Panthers, 69-65 last Thursday, in the quarterfinal round of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc (CESAFI) seniors division basketball tournament at the University of San Carlos gym.
Just a day after the lowly Don Bosco College Greywolves stunned top-seeded University of Cebu Webmasters, the mighty eight-time champions came close to sharing the same fate as they went down by 18 points in the third period and had to scramble in the fourth for the come-from-behind victory to claim the first semifinals slot.
For the first three periods, the Panthers took inspiration from the incredible feat that the Greywolves pulled off last Tuesday at the same venue as they extended their 33-26 halftime lead to 18, 49-31, after a spectacular alley-oop slam by the high-flying Elwin Durano. That lead eventually settled at 13 after a five-point binge by UV sentinels Edrian Lao and Ritchum Dennison.
The UV braintrust then inserted a smaller and quicker lineup at the onset of the fourth stanza led by guards Phil Mercader and Harold Cincoflores, and the move paid off as USPF struggled with the full court defense, which led to a sizzling, 14-2 run by the former that sliced the lead to just two, 55-57.
Mercader then rattled off five straight points, punctuated by a three-point play that gave UV their first taste of the lead at 62-61, with exactly two minutes remaining in the match. USPF's star forward Fritz Dajalos briefly gave the lead back to his squad on the next possession with a nice floater but a 7-2 run anchored on Edrian Lao, Cincoflores and Dennison ended their opponents' uprising and ultimately, their season.
Lao led UV with 15 points while Mercader and Dennison each had 12 markers. Reigning MVP Greg Slaughter was held down to just nine points. Dajalos was the lone scorer in twin digits for USPF with 19.
UV?s semifinal opponent will be the winner of the quarterfinal match between the University of San Jose-Recoletos Jaguars and the Cebu Institute of Technology Wildcats.
