BACOLOD City – Colegio de Sta. Ana de Victorias Titans completed a three-peat feat in the NOPSSCEA tertiary men’s basketball by sweeping the STI-West Negros University Mustangs in the best of three finals here.
The Titans achieved a rare third straight championship in Game 2 of the championship series by posting a 79-64 win yesterday over its rival at the VMA-GC Gymnasium in Barangay Sum-ag here.
MVP Jeff Manday, Shane Dichoso and JR Essakadoualla conspired once again on offense.
With the win, the Titans earned the right to represent NOPSSCEA in the Provincial Meet and play in the Western Visayas Regional Athletiic Association Meet.
“Against all odds, we are the three-peat champions in NOPSSCEA,” exclaimed Titans team manager Paul Oliver Cruz whose team also defeated the Mustangs in Game 1 on Wednesday night, 91-78.
It was not an easy road for the Titans. Some of their players were petitioned during the offseason that led to NOPSSCEA founding schools University of St. La Salle and La Consolacion College-Bacolod withdrawing from the competitions.
The two schools expressed their frustration over NOPSSCEA’s inability to implement its own rules as stated on its Revised Sports Manual, governing the citizenship of every player playing in the league.
Despite that, the Titans still had a strong start in the NOPSSCEA after a 142-63 rout over CASAP and 140-71 blowout against Southland College before losing to the Mustangs, 79-76, to close the elimination./PN
