Bleacher Talk

SHSJ in National Finals of Milo BEST The Sacred Heart School Jesuit (SHSJ) dives into action today as it represents the Visayas in the Passerelle division of the national finals of the BEST Center SBP/Passerelle Twin Tournament sponsored by Milo at the University of San Agustin Gym in Iloilo City. Buoyed by its undefeated run in 12 games dating back to the Cebu leg and the Visayas Regional finals, the Eagles are seeking a place in history to become the first SHSJ team to ever win a national championship in this tournament. Learning from its bridesmaid finish in the Visayas Finals last year when it had to make do with only 14 players, the Eagles are seeking no less than the championship. “La Salle will be the team to beat, but we’re ready for them and the other schools as well. We’re well-prepared and everyone is in tip-top shape. We’re just asking for the prayers and support of everyone back home,” Rasmo said upon their departure for Iloilo yesterday. SHSJ will be facing the different ...

Bleacher Talk Nov 16, 2008 All’s Quiet? “Na mingaw man ta kalit no?” so asked a boxing fan when we bumped into each other one day. What did he mean by “mingaw” I asked, when the boxing world was already “busy” waiting in excitement for the Manny Pacquiao vs Oscar de la Hoya “Dream Match” in December. “Local boxing ba. Wa nay tay big time boxing ron,” he added. He was right on the dot on that. After AJ Banal’s shock defeat last July, Boom Boom Bautista’s two-round KO win in August and Michael Domingo’s conquest of ex-world champion Ratanachai Sor Vorapin in September, local boxing events or promotions featuring Cebu’s top stars have suddenly gone quiet for the last quarter of the year. Cebu boxing was relatively busy for the first three quarters of 2008, and it looks like the fourth quarter won’t be able to sustain this momentum. There was Robert Allanic on the comeback trail with a fight last night and a band of Wakee Salud’s upstarts fighting tonight, but they’re not part of the so-ca...

SHSJ Wins Milo BEST Visayas Finals Bacolod City – The Sacred Heart School Jesuit (SHSJ) defeated Ateneo de Iloilo, 72-66 Sunday to win the Passerelle championship of the Visayas Regional Finals of the BEST Center SBP/Passerelle twin basketball tournament sponsored by Milo held at the West Negros University Gym. But it didn’t come easy as the Eagles blew hot then cold, overcoming an Ateneo end-game rally to bag its first ever Visayas championship in the Passerelle division. The Eagles leaned on a quick start to control the game, taking the first quarter 22-13, behind the hot shooting of Daryl Nazareno. Ateneo cut the lead down to 39-31 at the half and then slowly chipped away to close the gap at 52-47 after three quarters. SHSJ managed to pad the lead up to 58-51 early in the fourth period but Ateneo replied with a 11-4 run that tied the game at 62-all with 3:36 left. Ateneo capped its rally by taking a two-point lead at 66-64 with 2:19 left. SHSJ then scored six unanswered points behin...

SHSJ Barges Into Finals of Milo BEST Visayas Bacolod City – The Sacred Heart School Jesuit (SHSJ) scored two more wins to barge into the championship of the Visayas Regional Finals of the Milo BEST Center SBP/Passerelle twin basketball tournament at the West Negros University Gym. The Eagles defeated College of St. John–Roxas (CSJR), 92-81 on Saturday, then rolled past St. John’s Institute of Bacolod yesterday, 84-70, to score a sweep of the elimination round of the Passerelle division. SHSJ started out hot against the Roxas champions, controlling the game from the get go, cruising into the fourth quarter with an 80-54 lead. However, CSJR bounced back with a big fourth quarter rally, taking advantage of SHSJ’s relaxed tone, cutting the lead down to seven, 81-88 with 1:45 left in the game. But that was all they could do as the trio of Gabe Branzuela, Adrian Muller and Daryl Nazareno replied with 7-0 run to seal the win. It was a different story against St. John’s Institute of Bacolod as...

SHSJ Wins in Milo BEST Visayas Finals Bacolod City – Sacred Heart School Jesuit (SHSJ) and the University of San Carlos North Campus (USC NC) kicked off their respective campaigns in the Visayas Regional finals of the BEST Center SBP/Passerelle twin basketball tournament in contrasting fashion at the West Negros University Gym. The SHSJ Eagles served notice of its goal to win the Passerelle championship by defeating Ateneo de Iloilo (AdI), 71-61 in a battle of Jesuit schools, while USC NC couldn’t sustain its fiery fourth quarter rally as they bowed to Ateneo de Iloilo, 35-41 in the SBP division. The Eagles jumped off to a 21-11 lead at the end of the first quarter, and increased the lead to 12, 38-26 at halftime. AdI roared back to cut the lead to as low as three points 46-49 in the third quarter SHSJ recovered to post a 54-48 lead at the end of the period. The Eagles regained their momentum in the fourth quarter behind the outside shooting of Gabe Branzuela and inside play of Borgy d...

Bleacher Talk November 9, 2008 Dominate Visayas? Cebu has always boasted that it’s the hotbed of basketball south of Manila. But if it’s a real dominance over the rest of our neighbors in Visayas and Mindanao, this will have to cover all levels of basketball. At the higher level of basketball, Cebu is virtually unstoppable. The M. Lhuillier ballclub has always been tops in the semi pro circuit, representing Cebu in the Liga Plipinas and their previous leagues such as the MVBA and URBL. At the collegiate level, the University of the Visayas has always been tagged as the top collegiate team in the Vismin and is even considered a threat to the top teams of the UAAP and NCAA. We’re not counting the PBA and PBL here since these are more national in scope. But I’d like to see M. Lhuillier take their action to this level (this makes another story). The Central Visayas has also been our domain in the Palarong Pambansa even if we suffered a glitch when Bohol defeated Cebu City in the high schoo...