Generoso Cecilio Jr. is on his final year with the Lyceum Junior Pirates.
He has been playing for the Junior Pirates for the last three years.
The 5’11 guard is considered as one of the leaders of the team.
(Junjun Cecilio tries to get past Jielo Razon and Esvin Inliwan).
On Aug. 1, he led his team to a resounding 117-93 victory over the University of Perpetual Help Junior Altas.
This will be his last chance, if ever, to be in the Final Four.
This will happen if the Junior Pirates get very far in the 92nd National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Junior Basketball wars at the FilOil-Flying V Center in San Juan.
(McLaude Guadana in a defensive with Cecilio on Junior Altas player Iverson Aquiatan).
Cecilio struck with 18 points and 7 rebounds for the Junior Pirates, while teammates McLaude Guadana was good for 15 points.
As for the Junior Altas, Jielo Razon tallied a gamehigh 22 points.
Things were kinda tight for the two teams until the start of the third quarter.
(Donyel Udal (6) in a loose ball play with Makki Santos(10)).
The Junior Altas finished the half slightly ahead, 57-55, off Esvin Inliwan’s two charities off Francis Ruiz’s foul at the buzzer.
But everything turned around in the second half.
Charities made Cecilio off Razon’s foul tied the match, 57-all for the last time, with 9:46 left.
(Jielo Razon)
It sparked a 12-3 blast, which Cecilio capped with a putback that handed Lyceum a 67-60 advantage in the last 5:08.
“Sinabihan ko ang mga teammates ko na mag-push pa. Kasi lamang pa sila ng dalawa after the first half,” said Cecilio, who is from Gen. Trias in Cavite.
A turnover by Inliwan allowed Cecilio to score and put the Junior Pirates ahead by 9, 71-62, with 4:29 left.
(Errol Bongay).
Another scoring run came in the last three minutes of the period, and Cecilio made seven during a 9-2 spurt.
The Junior Pirates then found themselves on top by 14, 79-65, off Lee Ian Salazar’s triple.
In the fourth, the Junior Pirates continued pulling away.
(Coach LA Mumar).
Their edge went up by 17 after Carly Ortiz scored on Chester Jungco’s rebound, 88-71, in the last 8:58.
After the game, coach LA Mumar said the Final Four is possibility that they are considering.
However, the race to the top is quite tight, considering where the team is in the standings right now.
-Notes:
- The Junior Pirates’current record as of this writing is 6-8 in 5th
- They are four wins behind the La Salle Greenhills Greenies (10-3).
- Mathematically, this is impossible, while the Greenies will have to lose their 5 remaining games, and the Junior Pirates needs to win their last 4 matches to force a deadlock for the 4th
- The Junior Pirates finished at 11-7 in 5th place last season.
- They bowed to the Emilio Aguinaldo College Brigadiers last Sept. 1.
- With their present record, they could still finish fifth, but a notch behind their showing in 2015, if they don’t lose more games.
Pektus Corner 