UC’s Ricofer Sordilla fires a three-point shot in front of Vincent Escobido of Cebu City. | From Sugbuanong Kodaker
CEBU CITY, Philippines—The University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters overcame a formidable Cebu City Selection squad to kick off their Sinulog Cup Basketball Tournament with a hard-fought, 79-74 victory on Tuesday night, January 21, at the Cebu Coliseum.
UC’s cohesive play and team chemistry proved pivotal in the tightly contested game that went down the wire.
Ricofer Sordilla, the Webmasters’ sharpshooting guard, led the charge with 20 points, including 4-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. He also contributed two assists, one rebound, and one steal to spearhead UC’s efforts.
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Luther Leonard provided significant support for UC with a well-rounded performance, tallying 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block.
On the opposing side, Zaionyl Rosano delivered an impressive outing for the Cebu City Selection with 18 points, six rebounds, two steals, and an assist. Jeff Michael Gudes and Karl Hyden Cabulao chipped in 12 points apiece in their losing efforts.
The Webmasters overturned an early 17-23 deficit, seizing a 41-34 halftime lead behind Sordilla’s scoring surge. Despite the Cebu City Selection’s star-studded lineup comprising of current and former Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (Cesafi) players and seasoned commercial veterans—UC managed to maintain a slim advantage in the second half.
In the game’s pivotal moments, the Cebu City Selection briefly took a 74-73 lead with 27 seconds remaining, courtesy of Rosano’s clutch corner triple. However, UC quickly regained control when Sordilla answered with a go-ahead basket. The Selection’s attempts to reclaim the lead fell short, as key players Rosano and Elmer Echavez Jr. missed crucial three-point attempts in the dying seconds.
Forced fouls in the final moments sent UC’s John Carl Angelio and Jepherson Nonol to the free-throw line, where they converted key shots to secure the win. The tightly contested battle featured 12 lead changes and six deadlocks.
Despite the loss, the Cebu City Selection excelled in several statistical categories, outscoring UC in the paint (44-36), fast break points (23-12), and bench points (42-29).
However, UC capitalized on their opponents’ miscues, scoring 18 points off turnovers compared to the Selection’s 13.
UC is set to face Team Frasco Lilo-an in tonight’s first game of the Sinulog Cup basketball set at 6 PM, while RKF Iloilo takes on Welec X AMC at 7:30 PM.
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