Warriors, Wildcats make ‘Sweet 16’
By Jonas Panerio
Cebu Daily News
The University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors advanced to the “Sweet 16” stage of the 2010 Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) but not without tension.
The Warriors had to tough it out against a gritty Agro Industrial Foundation College Sailors squad, 83-81, in overtime in the final day of the Visayas-Mindanao Zonals yesterday at the Cebu Coliseum.
The win by the Warriors gave them a three-game sweep of the zonals. The Sailors' loss also put the University of Iloilo Wildcats into the “Sweet 16” by virtue of the latter's better quotient.
The Wildcats earlier upset the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (CESAFI) third placers, Southwestern University (SWU) Cobras, 83-67, and forged a three-way tie with their victims and the Sailors with similar 1-2 (win-loss) records. The Wildcats emerged with a quotient of 1.039, which bested Agro's 1.006 and SWU's 0.951.
The Sailors did not go out without a fight as they led by as many as nine points at several moments in the game and nearly won if not for a three-point miss at the overtime buzzer by Clemente Ruiz.
Agro started off hot behind the streak-shooting Ruiz, who pumped in 15 of his 30 points in the first half, which pushed the Sailors to a 41-32 lead. They maintained that lead for most of the third canto but USC fought back to take the lead courtesy of a searing 14-3 rally, with Mike Cantonao's basket, finally giving the Warriors the lead at 56-54.
A difficult lay-up by USC's Giovanni Padillo briefly gave them the lead at 71-69, 18.4 ticks left in regulation. Agro tied the game at 71-all after Ericson Galacgac fished a foul from Robert Codilla and hit two free-throws. The Warriors had a chance to win the game at the buzzer but Sam Hermosa's heave from the wing missed.
The Warriors surged ahead, 80-71, in overtime, with Padillo and Hermosa combining for all nine markers in a 9-0 run. But just when all seemed lost for Agro, USC's careless turnovers and missed free-throws gave them life and the Sailors responded with 8-0 run, culminated with a lay-in by Raffy Aninao that sliced the deficit down to just one, with just 6.6 seconds remaining.
On the ensuing possession, USC's Cid Cortes split his charities that pushed their lead to 83-81 with 4.9 left on the clock. Ruiz raced downcourt and attempted an improbable three-pointer that hit the right side of the rim.
Hermosa, a member of the Cesafi Mythical Five team, scored 25 points to lead the Warriors.
Source:
Warriors, Wildcats make ‘Sweet 16’ - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos