Fil-Oil: Green Archers continue dominance after Cebu sweep

The DLSU Green Archers concluded their Cebu trip on a high note with a three-game sweep against their Visayas-based rival teams, the University of Visayas (UV) Lancers, the Southwestern University (SWU) Cobras, and the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors. During the three consecutive days of action from May 23 to 25, La Salle improved to a 4-1 win-loss slate in the Fil-Oil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup.

During the Green Archers’ first stop at the Queen City of the South, they went against the reigning Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) champions, the UV Lancers. With a La Salle victory judged by a final score of 61-56, Jason Perkins made a cut above the rest after a performance which saw him earn 22 points and eight rebounds. Perkins was the only Green Archer to score in double figures during the match. UV paced themselves from the opening period until the last few seconds of regulation. With a furious attempt for an endgame comeback, the UV Lancers were behind by only one point with less than two minutes left in regulation. A clutch put back by Arnold van Opstal, and two split free throws from Almond Vosotros and Jeron Teng spelled the win for the Green-and-White squad.

The following day, the Green Archers were pit against the SWU Cobras in what seemed as a rematch of the 2013 PCCL Finals which was won by DLSU. La Salle completed a comeback victory, 64-59, after making runs in the third and fourth period. The Green Archers saw themselves down by three at halftime, 31-28, after SWU’s dominant first quarter performance. La Salle crawled back to tie the game at 40-all just in time for the third quarter buzzer. The Green Archers made 24 points in the fourth quarter, compared to SWU’s 19, to snatch the lead for good. Vosotros led the team with 13 points and three rebounds, alongside Teng’s double-double performance of 12 points and 11 rebounds.

La Salle then blasted the USC Warriors, 82-68. in their last game in Cebu. With Jeron Teng leading the pack at 18 points and six rebounds, La Salle outscored USC for the first three quarters, including a huge 28-18 third quarter run. Almond Vosotros added another 16 points, and rookie forward Julian Sargent stepped up to notch an additional 13 points for the La Salle squad. On the other hand, for the USC Warriors, Ian Ortega led the scoring with 13 points. The Green Archers overcame USC behind a 46 percent shooting clip, in contrast to USC’s 36 percent. Teng and Vosotros led the Green Archers once again with 18 and 16 points, respectively.

Prior to their Cebu trip, the Green Archers have toppled the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors, 69-62, during the opening of the preseason cup last April 25 at The Arena in San Juan. The Jose Rizal University (JRU) Heavy Bombers notched an upset victory against La Salle though at 69-68, during the Green Archers’ second game of the tournament.

The Green Archers will next face the University of Perpetual Help Altas on May 31 at 4 pm in The Arena in San Juan.