Mindanaotoday.com | Liceo de Cagayan Titans win PCCL NorthMin crown
By: Jack Biantan
In less than one year, the young and brilliant coach James Racines has given the Liceo de Cagayan University its first serious basketball title when the Titans topped the Northern Mindanao ‘Mayor’s Cup’ qualifying tournament of the Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL).
The Titans whipped the Iligan Medical Center Colleges (IMCC) 73-59 in the championship game held last April 16, 2023 at the Nazareth gym here in Cagayan de Oro City.
Racines took over the coaching job at Liceo de Cagayan University in August last year and immediately worked hard to turn the Titans into a winning team.
The PCCL ‘Mayor’s Cup’ Northern Mindanao qualifying tournament was organized by the Cagayan de Oro Basketball Federation (CDOBF) under its President Edgardo Dacoco, Tournament Manager Pong Dacoco and Operations Officer Lord Ampo.
TITANS
The Titans tied with IMCC in the six-teams elimination round with five wins and one loss each to arrange for a winner take all championship game.
IMCC of coach Kurt Lariosa defeated Liceo de Cagayan University 81-76, in the elims but failed to sustain their advantage and ended up losing the finals by 14 points, 73-59.
Ace gunner Earl Laniton led the Titans with 21 points in the championship match. Other key players during the championship match were EJ Agbong, Janaimer Cabañez, Jericho Ostrea, and Ryner Anoos.
Pilgrim College of coach Rey Magadan finished third with four wins and two loses, Xavier University of coach Rocky Calingin fourth with two wins and four loses, and fifth New El Salvador College of coach Quirino Baculio with one win and four loses. USTP of coach Ryan Tubac was winless in five matches to end up at the bottom.
MINDANAO FINALS
The championship win earned the Titans a trip to the PCCL Mindanao Finals ‘Escandor’ Cup set on April 26, at the Davao City Recreation Center (Almendras gym).
They will clash with other top teams from Mindanao in a weeklong elimination tournament to determine the ‘Promised Land’s’ representative to the National PCCL Championship in Manila next month.
They will play against Holy Cross of Davao, Holy Trinity of General Santos City, South City College of Zamboanga City, Rizal Memorial College also of Davao City, and Jose Maria College also of Davao City.
“We will be the underdogs in this tournament as the rest of our opponents are veteran teams in the PCCL the past years,’’ said Titans coach James Racines.
He added that he has coached the team in less than a year only but he promised that the Titans will give them a good fight.
He is bringing a very small team with forwards Ryner Ann-os and Jan Mervin Demata being the tallest at 6-ft-2. However, he has good shooters and cat quick guards like North Min elimination MVP Earl Laniton, and forward Janaimer S. Cabanez to lean on and spring some surprises.
LINE-UP
Completing their line-up are forward center Mohammad Rayhan Sarapada, shooting guard Christiantly S. Perocho, forward Clark John Abuhan, point guard Jerald Abao, shooting guard Welkins Valiente, shooting guard Renz Gerald Jamago, point guard Marben Fuentes, point guard Jericho Ostrea, and center Evan Jose Agbong.
Coach James Racines also noted that they could not have found success without the support of the Liceo de Cagayan University President Dr. Alain Marc P. Golez, VP for Administration, and lawyer Leo Paolo Perez, VP for Finance Edwin Delos Santos.
Other school officials who supported the team are Director of the Office of Student Affairs, Director Office of Student Affairs Emmanuel N. Echem, Student Affairs Coordinator Bob Laurence D. Silagan, and Sports and Athletics Coordinator Lorenzo G. Closas.
James Racines also mentioned his assistant coaches Jerico Racines, and Lawrence Palabrica for their endless support to his effort to form a competitive team for Liceo. “They have been with me all the time even without any compensation. Without them things will be very difficult,’’ he said.
ASSUMPTION MONTESSORI SCHOOOL
Racines is the winningest young coach here in Cagayan de Oro City. He led the Assumption Montessori School (AMS) Jaguars of Balulang to various local and national National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) titles before the COVID pandemic. He also led the Jaguars to various Department of Education (DepEd) meet titles.
With Racines at helm, the Titans are now at different level. The school has very little sports or basketball program before. This time, the Titans victory in the PCCL Northern Mindanao Finals hopefully has awaken the administration to give more support to their sports program and the athletes.
The Titans will leave for Davao in the 25th of April, a day before the opening. The tournament will run from April 26-April 30. Top two teams will advance to the National Finals probably next month in Manila. (jackbiantantambok@gmail.com)
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