Biñan Tatak Gel leaned on Nic Cabanero and Carlo Lastimosa to beat Rizal XentroMall, 81-67, on Tuesday and arrange a rematch with Quezon Province in the South Division Finals of the SportsPlus MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 2026 Season at the Alonte Sports Arena in Biñan, Laguna.
The Quezon Huskers, meanwhile, battered the Cebu Greats, 83-55, in the other semifinal encounter to keep their bid for a third consecutive division crown alive.
The 23-year-old Cabanero erupted for 32 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and two steals to power Biñan to a 2-0 sweep of Rizal and earn SportsPlus Best Player honors.
The former UAAP scoring champion with the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers also came through in the clutch in Game One, drilling a buzzer-beating jumper to lift Biñan past Rizal, 72-70, on October 21.
Lastimosa chipped in 13 points, seven rebounds, and a pair of crucial three-pointers that helped swing the momentum in Biñan’s favor. His back-to-back triples gave Tatak Gel a 71-58 advantage with 3:26 remaining.
Pamboy Raymundo also delivered for Biñan with 12 points, 13 assists, three rebounds, and two steals, while Jaymar Gimpayan, Michael Mabulac, and Marc Pingris added six points apiece.
Rizal XentroMall held a 34-29 halftime lead, but Cabanero took charge in the third quarter, pouring in 16 points, including a four-point play, as Biñan seized control and carried a 56-48 advantage into the final period.
The Huskers and Tatak Gel, the top two seeds in the South Division, will begin their best-of-five title series on November 3. Biñan lost to Quezon Province, 2-3, in last year’s South Division Finals.
In the other semifinal series, Quezon Province unleashed a decisive 13-point run, including 11 points from Judel Fuentes, while holding Cebu scoreless for four minutes and 54 seconds to pull away, 69-51, and complete a 2-0 sweep.
The Huskers had opened the series with a 77-67 victory over the Greats.
Fuentes led Quezon with 20 points and three rebounds, but Christian Pagaran earned Best Player honors after finishing with 16 points and three assists. Pagaran scored seven of his points in the third quarter.
Cebu managed just four points in the fourth quarter as Quezon closed out the rout by scoring the game’s final 11 points.
Jolo Manansala contributed seven points, four rebounds, and two assists for the Huskers, while Chris Lalata had six points and nine rebounds. Cholo Anonuevo added four points, 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks, while Cyrus Tabi chipped in four points, seven assists, and two rebounds.
Cedric Manzano, Quezon’s starting center, also returned after more than a month on the sidelines due to an injury, contributing five points and two rebounds.
Quezon head coach Eric Gonzales praised his players’ collective effort, saying, “Everybody stepped up (when needed),” after the Huskers found themselves trailing Cebu, 38-35, at halftime.
No Cebu player scored in double figures, with Elmer Echavez leading the way with nine points. Ichie Altamirano added seven, while Simon Camacho recorded seven points and 12 rebounds.
Mark Meneses, the Greats’ top scorer, was limited to six points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Quezon held a slim 25-23 lead before Cebu mounted an 11-point surge, sparked by back-to-back drives from Dhon Reverente and offset only by a Pagaran free throw, to take a 34-26 advantage.
Cebuano basketball legend Dondon Hontiveros and his son, Ice, also shared the court in the second quarter, combining for nine points as the Greats took a 38-35 lead into the break.
The North Division semifinals continue Wednesday, with defending champion Abra Solid North and the San Juan Knights seeking to arrange a Finals showdown at the Ynares Center Montalban in Rizal Province.
The Abra Weavers defeated the Pasay Voyagers, 81-71, while the Knights edged the Caloocan Batang Kankaloo, 73-71, in their respective series openers on October 21. Both teams need just one more win to complete their semifinal sweeps and advance to the best-of-five North Division Finals.
