MSEUF-Lucena Wildcats routed defending champions MSEUF-Candelaria with a nine-point advantage, 68-59, at the 2nd Chairman’s Cup on Feb. 8 at the University Gymnasium.
The Wildcats never gave the Jaguars a chance to eclipse their score lead over all four quarters, securing Lucena a landslide victory.
Candelaria struggled in the early game and ended the first quarter with a 5-20 tally after Lucena’s sharp three-pointers. The Jaguars’ stealthy efforts were not enough to recover from the Wildcats’ 15-point early lead.
Multiple fouls from both teams resulted in a heated midgame, with the referees and coaches averting an imminent brawl.
“Sa mga susunod na game, we expect more maturity pagdating sa mga teams natin,” Enverga-Lucena coach Melki Villanueva reiterated.
The Jaguars tried to rally in the second half, but the Wildcats kept their patience and maintained their advantage.
Villanueva emphasized that they had to match the intensity of the Jaguars. “Ang game [ng Jaguars], tumatakbo—kailangan namin tapatan ‘yun para mapadali ‘yung opensa namin,” he said. He also praised his team for their teamwork and defense, which he said were the keys to their success.
Peterenz Andry Madridano was the Most Valuable Player (MVP) after registering an impressive 18-point input for the Wildcats.
“Masaya po sa feeling kasi defending champion [‘yung kalaban] … teamwork at depensa lang po talaga ang nagdala … ‘yung offense kasi, dadating ‘yun pero ‘yung defense pinagtatrabahuhan,” Madridano expressed.
Despite their loss, the Jaguars vowed to bounce back stronger next year to reclaim the championship.
Meanwhile, MSEUF-Sampaloc landed third place after struggling to surpass Candelaria’s 18-point partition, 59-77, in the bronze medal match on Feb. 5.
