When the crown was on the line, the Quezon Huskers found their hero in L-Jay Gonzales.
In a performance echoing his Game Two heroics, Gonzales delivered the Huskers’ final 13 points, leading Quezon Province to a thrilling 65-60 win over Batangas in Game Three on Thursday.
With the packed Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City cheering them on, the Huskers clinched the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Sixth Season South Division championship.
The Huskers faced adversity early in the series, dropping Game One, 69-75, at their home court.
However, in Game Two, Gonzales scored seven crucial points, and Jason Opiso’s tip-in with just 1.9 seconds remaining secured a 65-64 victory at the Batangas City Coliseum, forcing a decisive Game Three.
With this hard-fought 2-1 series win, Quezon punched their ticket to Dubai for the MPBL National Finals, where they will face North Division champion and reigning national titlist, Pampanga.
The third game remained tight throughout. Batangas held a slim 55-52 lead before Gonzales took over, scoring 10 consecutive points—including two clutch triples—that lifted Quezon to a 62-55 advantage with just 1:33 left.
Batangas’ Jong Baloria, Kris Porter, and Cedrick Ablaza responded, trimming Quezon’s lead to 62-60 with 30 seconds remaining. But Opiso found Gonzales open for a breakaway drive, securing the win for the Huskers.
After a couple of missed opportunities from Batangas, the 5-foot-11 Gonzales, a former standout from Far Eastern University, split a pair of free throws with seven seconds left, sealing his performance worthy of Daily Fantasy Best Player honors.
Inspired by the presence of his family, who traveled all the way from San Mateo, Isabela to witness the game, Gonzales finished with 22 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals.
Other Huskers stepped up as well, with Judel Fuentes scoring 14 points and grabbing 5 rebounds, Opiso adding 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists, and Gab Banal chipping in with 11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.
For Batangas, Ablaza scored 16 points with 4 rebounds, Baloria added 14 points and 3 rebounds, CJ Isit contributed 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals, while Porter scored 8 points and grabbed 4 rebounds.
However, Batangas’ struggles at the free-throw line proved costly, as they hit only 19 of 39 attempts (48.7%), compared to Quezon’s 90% accuracy, sinking 9 of 10 shots.
Fueled by Fuentes’ three triples, Quezon jumped out to a 19-15 lead in the first quarter with a 9-0 run.
Batangas responded in the second, with Baloria and Ablaza combining for 12 points to swing the lead in their favor, 29-22.
In a tearful post-game interview, Gonzales shared how much it meant to have his family present, marking the first time they had watched him compete at such a high level.
The fans showed up early, with crowds arriving as early as 7 a.m. to secure tickets, and over 7,000 managed to pack into the arena. Many more gathered at the provincial capitol grounds to watch on giant LED screens.
Game Three was also a social media sensation, attracting over 70,000 live viewers on Facebook and 50,000 on YouTube.
Quezon now prepares to face Pampanga in a best-of-five series, with Game One and Game Two set for December 1 and 3 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
