South Cotabato edged out Biñan Tatak Gel, 79-77, on Wednesday to clinch the final semifinal slot in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Sixth Season at the Alonte Sports Arena in Biñan, Laguna.
The South Cotabato Warriors secured the win thanks to clutch free throws by Jervy Cruz, who sank two, and Marwin Dionisio, who split his attempts, giving them the marginal points in the dying seconds to seal the victory and close out their South Division quarterfinal series, 2-1.
Biñan had chances to extend or win the game, but Kenny Roger Rocacurva missed a crucial layup, and Carlo Lastimosa’s potential game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer fell short. Biñan’s fate was further sealed when Marc Pingris missed two of his four free throws, which could have tied the game after Biñan briefly led, 75-74.
In the back-and-forth series, South Cotabato took Game 1 with an 85-82 victory, while Biñan forced the decider by winning Game 2, 70-69.
With the victory, South Cotabato advances to face the Batangas City Tanduay Rum in the South semifinal opener on Monday, October 28.
Mark Cruz delivered a strong performance for the Warriors, finishing with 13 points, 10 assists, and 5 rebounds, earning him Daily Fantasy Best Player honors.
Jervy Cruz contributed 18 points and 3 rebounds, while Larry Rodriguez chipped in 12 points and 3 rebounds.
For Biñan, Carlo Lastimosa led all scorers with 27 points and 9 rebounds, Rocacurva added 16 points and 5 rebounds, and Pingris tallied 12 points and 8 rebounds in a losing effort.
South Cotabato also got a key contribution from Val Acuña, who sank two free throws with four seconds left in the third quarter to give the Warriors a 66-60 lead heading into the final period.
After a sluggish start, trailing 0-9, South Cotabato rallied to take a 45-42 lead at halftime behind the efforts of Rodriguez, Jervy Cruz, and Mark Cruz.
Rodriguez notched 12 points, while the two Cruzes added 9 points each to counter Lastimosa’s 14 and Rocacurva’s 10 for Biñan.
MPBL founder and CEO Manny Pacquiao was in attendance alongside his wife, Jinkee, much to the delight of the packed crowd.
The MPBL playoffs will continue on Saturday, October 26, with the North Division semifinals.
Nueva Ecija will take on defending champions Pampanga at 6 p.m., followed by Caloocan versus San Juan at 8 p.m. at the FilOil EcoOil Arena in San Juan.
