THE worst year of the Lancers hath come.

The University of San Carlos Warriors drew first blood in the best-of-five championship of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. basketball competition, 69-61, over defending six-time champion University of the Visayas Green Lancers in a game that could be USC’s best performance to date yesterday at the Cebu Coliseum.

For the past six years, the Lancers were almost untouchable winning almost all of their games that losing is a term foreign to them. This year, they lost in the elimination and in the semifinals. Before, Game 1’s and championship series were their forte as they always win it by sweep. Not this time. Not while the Warriors are their opponents.

The USC Warriors have never defeated the UV squad ever and they couldn’t have chosen a much better time to do so as they bashed UV in Game 1 of the championship series giving them the advantage going into today’s Game 2.

Owing to their stifling defense and excellent perimeter shooting, the Warriors were able to build up a strong wall of a 21-point lead, 47-26, going into the penultimate round.

Their intesity, however, wavered and their third quarter performance almost did the Warriors in after they only scored a pathetic seven points. “They became too confident in the third period that was why we lost a lot of chances,” said USc coach Jay Ramirez.

The Warriors let their guards down, allowing the Lancers to rally 26 points in this period behind UV point guard Chris Diputado, who scored points including two triples to chop off their deficit to just six going into the final priod. Luckily the Warriors then were cushioned by the 21-point advantage as they entered the fourth still at the helm.

In the fourth, UV had put a mark on USC center Enrico Llanto, who was hampered from scoring at his post. What he could not accomplish offensively, Llanto made up for it in defense as he went on blocking a handful of UV’s attempts.

Up by just three, 52-49 at the start of the fourth, Niño Ramirez slipped into the hero’s shoes and scored seven straight points on fastbreaks to widen the margin once more to 10, 59-49, which was too much for UV to recover from as time was running out on them.

Ramirez led the Warriors with 22 points, while Llanto had 18.

UV will try to redeem themelves in today’s game two, which will be at 6:00 tonight after the battle for third and the highschool finals series. (MCB)