Two more major titles fell into NOPSSCEA's coffers yesterday as the Negros Occidental contingent finished with 13 team crowns – the most for any delegation – in the Western Visayas Private Schools Athletic Association Meet in Kalibo, Aklan.

The twin wins that came in women's volleyball and men's basketball complemented earlier victories in men and women's table tennis, men and women's taekwondo, men and women's chess, men's badminton, women's athletics, women's lawn tennis and men's football.

Roger Banzuela, NOPSSCEA sports task force chairman, said attributed the good showing to the early preparation of the athletes. The NOPSSCEA shifted from a weekends-only event into a week-long tournament last September.

The winners will move on to represent Western Visayas in the National PRISAA scheduled to begin April 6 in Zamboanga City .

Aching to avenge their shocking elimination-round loss, the NOPSSCEA cagers erased Iloilo 's twice-to-beat edge yesterday morning with a 70-69 win, before going on to dethrone their rivals with a comfortable 93-61 victory in the winner-take-all duel.

The women's volleyball squad also bagged the title at the expense of Iloilo yesterday. The NOPSSCEA volleybelles came-from-behind to snatch a 25-27, 25-21, 25-21, 25-18 triumph at the Augusto B. Legaspi Gym.

The NOPSSCEA spikers dragged Iloilo to a rubber match only to lose 25-19, 21-25, 25-22, 25-23.

Aside from men's volleyball, Iloilo also ruled men and women's swimming, men's athletics, sepak takraw, women's badminton and men and women's karatedo.

NOPSSCEA basketball coach Dennis Tumayan of West Negros College gave credit to standout playmaker Alfie Villariza for his steady play throughout the tournament.

Villariza pumped in 29 points, including 19 in the first half, in the title-clinching win. He also poured 26 points in the win that forced a rubber match.

Tumayan said the team needed to adjust to the referees' calls in the finals. “They were calling it really tight. It was difficult to play honest pressure defense,” he said.

Tumayan said some major decisions by the referees contributed to his team's 90-84 loss to Iloilo in the elimination round. One of them was a technical foul slapped on guard Arrom Aledron who accidentally poked an Iloilo player's eye, while the player was shooting the ball late in the fourth period.

Tumayan didn't take any chances in the all-or-nothing showdown yesterday, sending an all-WNC crew in the opening period, a ploy that worked wonders as the Negrenses raced to a 53-38 lead at halftime.

Vengie Vergara added 26 markers, including four triples, while Bernard Suante and Paul Bacillote chipped in 8 apiece. NOPSSCEA earlier defeated Antique, 105-43; Aklan, 81-46, and Capiz, 88-71.*CPT

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