The semi-finals for the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) basketball tournament have been rescheduled due to the effects of Typhoon Wilma. Originally set for Saturday, December 6, 2025, the crucial college and high school division games will now tip off on Sunday, December 7, at the Cebu Coliseum.
Revised Schedule and Tournament Format
Deputy Commissioner Danny Duran announced the change following requests from the participating schools. The action will commence with the high school division semi-finals at 12:30 PM, followed by the highly anticipated college matchups. The college games will feature the No. 1 University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters against the No. 4 University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors at 3:30 PM, and the No. 2 University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers versus the No. 3 Benedicto College (BC) Cheetahs at 5:00 PM.
In this semi-final round, the top two seeded teams in each division enjoy a significant twice-to-beat advantage, a reward for their superior performance during the elimination round.
UC Webmasters Seek to Continue Dominance Over USC
The match between the UC Webmasters, coached by Kernn Sesante, and the USC Warriors, led by coach Paul Joven, is expected to be intense. However, history favors the Webmasters, who defeated the Warriors convincingly in both of their elimination round encounters this season.
UC secured their first victory on September 20 with a 55-42 scoreline, and followed it up with another win on November 27, 69-56. A key moment from that November game saw UC's star Ricofer Sordilla execute a crafty layup after maneuvering past USC big man Gabriel Negado.
Despite the previous results, the Warriors are anticipated to make major adjustments. They will rely heavily on the talents of James Paolo Gica, Kyle Maglinte, and Jhoernel Vince Tangkay. The Webmasters, meanwhile, will bank on their core players Ricofer Sordilla, Ray Charles Libatog, and Carlo Salgarino to secure a finals berth.
UV and BC Set for Deciding Rubber Match
The other college semi-final is perfectly poised, as the UV Green Lancers and BC Cheetahs split their two elimination games. BC took the first match on October 26, 76-65, but UV bounced back with a 72-63 victory on December 3. This sets the stage for a thrilling third and decisive encounter in the semi-finals.
As of the latest updates, the pairings for the high school division semi-finals were still being determined, pending the result of the ongoing game between the University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu Mandaue (UCLM) and the Don Bosco Technological Center (DBTC) Greywolves.
Basketball fans in Cebu are now set for a thrilling Sunday of action as the road to the Cesafi championship intensifies, with teams battling not just their opponents, but the adjusted timeline forced by the recent typhoon.
