Tuesday, February 19, 2008 Cobras sink Cruisers into deep
ELVID Poligrates wreaked havoc in the opening quarter to set the one-sided victory of the Southwestern University Cobras, 107-74, over the Bohol Institute of Technology—International College Cruisers in their second round meeting of the 2008 Visayas Amateur Athletic Association (VAAA) basketball tournament at the Cebu Coliseum last night.
Poligrates scored 18, including four triples of his 22 points in the first quarter and Eric Zanoria added 10 of his 13 as the Cobras started the game with a 32-18 lead.
Worse for the Cruisers, the Cobras intensified its defense in the second quarter limiting the visitors to score a measly seven points while SWU cruised to a 54-25 lead at the half time.
Mark Guillena and Ferdinand Lusdoc tried to give fire to the game of the Cruisers as they combined 23 of the team’s 26 points production in the third period that cut SWU lead down to 76-51 entering the final period.
However, Rowen Tubongbanua scored all of his 10 points and Alfred Belande sank six of his 11 points in the fourth as SWU again outscored BIT-IC 31-23 for the final count.
The Cobras ended the elimination round unscathed with a record of 6-0 win-loss card while it was BIT-IC’s third defeat in four games, including an 88-108 defeat to the University of San Carlos Warriors Sunday evening also at the Coliseum.
Catching up
Today, the Cruisers will try to regain their winning spirit as they play against the winless Western Leyte College Mustangs in the opening game at 4 p.m., to be followed by the second meeting of the Salazar Colleges of Science and Institute of Technology Skyblazers and the University of the Visayas Green Lancers.
As of press time, UV played against Asian College of Technology Cyber Tigers for the No.1 seed in Group B.
Meanwhile, the University of the Visayas Green Lancers rebounded from a 15-point deficit in the first quarter before pulling an emphatic 106-83 victory over the listless Salazar Colleges of Science and Institute of Technology Skyblazers last Saturday.
The Green Lancers showed a glimpse of its vulnerability in the opening quarter when using the third stringers to start the game.
They paid dearly for it as the Skyblazers quickly jumped to a hot start behind the efforts of Benjie Calma and Gilbert Violango Jr.
SCSIT was in control of the game until the sixth minute mark of the third quarter before UV could grab the lead for good behind the efforts of the 6-foot-11 beanpole Gregg Slaughter, six-foot-five veteran forward Ariel Mepaña and fearless slasher Morsie Akad to reverse the outcome of the game.
Overwhelming
The Skyblazers were ahead 51-48 when Slaughter, Mepaña and Akad mastered a 22-11 blitz that gave the Green Lancers a 70-62 lead entering the final quarter.
From thereon, UV made the game an eventual practice game as the Skyblazers slowly crumbled into pieces to suffer their third defeat in four games. UV meanwhile just picked their third win in as many games.
Ritchum Dennison scored 19 for UV while Akad and Slaughter added 18 and 17 points respectively. Calma lead all scorer with 20 points for the SCSIT squad.
Today, undefeated teams UV Green Lancers and the Asian College of Technology Cyber Tigers will try to stay unscathedf int he main game scheduled at 6 p.m. (RCM)
