Streaking UC Baby Webmasters win again, rule Carmen hoops

Sports

WINNING never stops for the University of Cebu (UC) Baby Webmasters as they snagged a second championship crown in less than a month.

The Baby Webmasters prevailed in a battle of highly touted teams as they outlasted the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Baby Jaguars, 63-60, in their knockout championship match of the Mayor Carlo Villamor Cup Two-Day Fiesta League in Carmen town, northern Cebu on Friday night, August 16.

Bagging another crown after also ruling the Municipality of Compostela Mayor’s Cup early this month, UC banked on its suffocating defense to stifle the bigger Baby Jaguars on their way to pocketing the P25,000 top purse.

The victory also served as some sort of revenge as UC lost to USJ-R in the battle-for-third in the CESAFI Season 23.

UC head coach Joever Samonte said the squad stuck to its defensive game plan that keyed the Baby Webmasters’ morale-boosting victory.

“We prepared for USJ-R, and our hard work really paid off. USJ-R had the size advantage but we pressured them with man-to-man defense,” Samonte said.

Stepping up not just defensively but also offensively,

Lordwyn Jake Yong gave UC a huge lift as he fired a

game-high 11 points. Carlo Salgarino and Burj Gabriel Lapu-os backed Yong with nine points each.

The string of championship runs bode well for UC, which is gearing up for the CESAFI Season 24, which will begin on September 21.

The Baby Webmasters have been having a productive off-season. Aside from winning titles in Carmen and Compostela, UC also ruled the Region 7 leg of the Batang Pilipino Basketball League (BPBL) U18 competition. The Baby Webmasters also reached the semifinal round of the highly competitive BPBL National Finals in Manila.

UC is set to play more tune-up games as part of its preparation for the upcoming CESAFI season.

“With so many new players, the more we play, the better we'll gel as a team," Samonte said.

THE SCORES:

UC (63)- Yong 11, Salgarino 9, Lapu-os 9, Buot 7, Bayug 7, Dela Puerta 4, Romanis 4, Gilbuena 3, Pagalan 3, Sotto 2.

USJR (60)- Tan 14, Capangpangan 8, Chua 8, Mack 7, Toring 5, Pasaol 5, Epa 4, Candia 3, Pepito 3, Yanong 2, Narvaez 1.(CCM)