LAST year's finalists University of St. La Salle and University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos are most likely to figure in the same spot after winning two games each in the collegiate basketball of Negros Occidental Private Schools Sports Cultural Educational Association (Nopsscea).
Season 36 started with a sour note on Saturday at STI West Negros University (WNU) gym after its scheduled 1 p.m. game between Colegio de Sta. Ana Victorias (CSAV) and Visayan Maritime Academy-Global College (VMA-GC) was moved to 7 p.m. on request of the Sharks coach, according to reports.
The "adjustment" did not stop the La Sallians from "demolishing" a hapless Sacred Heart Seminary, 91-18, following a surprise 86-80 triumph of a trapping La Consolacion College (LCC)-Bacolod over a fast-breaking Colegio San Agustin (CSA)-Bacolod.
Most exciting was the 73-71 victory of UNO-R over STI WNU in the third game after the Rams trailed in the first half. CSAV then hacked out an 88-77 win over VMA-GC in the main game where Titans coach John Imperio was questioned for not wearing the prescribed long pants for the coaching staff.
On Sunday, the Sharks of Coach Gudoy Cipriano avenged its first day loss with a 71-61 domination of CSA-Bacolod whose mentor Jojo Dazo failed to bail out the Eagles for the second time.
USLS, now under coach Denden Velez, registered its second win against CSAV, 88-79 and shared the lead at 2-0 with UNO-R after the Rams of Gerom Aledron walked through over the Seminarians, 89-34.
STI WNU got back at LCC-Bacolod, 104-84 as the Mustangs of mentor Dennis Tumayan regained their bearing at the expense of the Blue Panthers under the tutelage of Ritchie Militante and Peewee Demonteverde.
CSAV, STI WNU, and LCC-Bacolod are locked at 1-1 while CSA-B and Sacred Heart Seminary are 0-2.
