Cabagnot steers the North past the South

In the most-awaited match to cap the PBA weekend festivities in Manila, the North All-Stars came up as winners over the South team in the 2016 All-Star game, 154-151 in a thrilling and eventful Sunday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

San Miguel Beer’s Alex Cabagnot was named as the All-Star Most Valuable Player, finishing with a game-high 29 points and five rebounds. Terrence Romeo scattered 25 points and four threes to aid the North team.

“I just wanted to have some fun with my teammates. It’s a pleasure to be on the court with these guys. Thank you for all the fans it was a long and fun weekend and everybody’s the MVP.” Cabagnot said.

The Northern All Stars looked to bag the game with two minutes left, as the led by nine at 152-143. However, South had one last rally behind June Mar Fajardo’s four straight stabs from the inside to make it a one-point game. As defense picked up in the last stretch, Paul Lee missed a layup but Troy Rosario provided a critical putback to restore a three-point lead with 5.7 ticks left.

Looking for one last shot to extend the game, South opted for a three but Jeff Chan failed to convert on the final attempt.

In a stuffed stat-sheet match, South drained 17 triples, but got bullied by 102 points in the paint from the North.

For the South, June Mar Fajardo tallied 25 points and nine rebounds. RR Garcia and Carlo Lastimosa also played well in their first All-Star game with 22 and 21 markers respectively.

The teams showcased their side talents in a dance showdown prior to the game. The South was named the winner of the entertaining dance-off led by Star Hotshot Joe Devance.

The Governor’s Cup will resume on Wednesday at the Big Dome with the battle between Meralco (2-2) and Rain or Shine (2-1), to be followed by Ginebra (3-1) versus Blackwater (1-2).

The Scores:

North (154) – Cabagnot 29, Romeo 25, Aguilar 21, Rosario 21, Pingris 16, De Ocampo 13, Caguioa 9, Castro 8, Norwood 7, Pringle 3, Lee 2.

South (151) – Fajardo 25, Garcia 22, Lastimosa 21, Cruz 20, Devance 17, Yap 13, Chan 12, Barroca 11, Taulava 4, Thompson 2, Quinahan 2, Ross 2.

Quarterscores: 42-33, 79-77, 117-119, 154-151

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