Pampanga surged into full throttle as San Juan faltered late on Tuesday, allowing the Giant Lanterns to secure the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) North Division crown with a hard-fought 86-82 victory in Game 2 at the FilOil Ecooil Centre in San Juan.
The Giant Lanterns scored 25 points, while the Knights managed only six in the fourth quarter, where Encho Serrano outscored the entire Knights’ squad with 11 points, cutting short their best-of-three title series and advancing to the National Finals against the winner of the South Division Finals between Bacoor and Batangas.
Trailing throughout the first three quarters, the Giant Lanterns entered the final quarter with a crippling 22-3 run, fueled by Serrano’s eight points, John Lloyd Clemente’s two triples, MJ Garcia’s basket, and capped by Justine Baltazar’s two free throws, seizing control at 79-73 going into the last minute.
Although San Juan’s Marwin Taywan drilled in a triple, the Knights could not convert after that, while the Giant Lanterns finished the job with two free throws by Serrano, following a split by Garcia.
Serrano ended with 16 points, seven assists, and three rebounds, earning best player honors over Baltazar, who tallied 14 points, 19 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals, and Garcia with 16 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Allen Liwag also contributed with 10 points and 14 rebounds, helping the towering Giant Lanterns dominate the boards, 61-32.
Pampanga, powered by Baltazar and JB Bahio, also defeated San Juan 86-82 in the series opener on Nov. 12 at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando, Pampanga.
San Juan, which led by as much as 36-17 in the second quarter, received 18 points from Marwin Taywan, who brought San Juan to within 76-79, 16 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals from Orlan Wamar, and 14 points from Nikko Panganiban.
It was a frustrating loss for the Knights, who were ahead for a total of 34 minutes and 52 seconds against the Giant Lanterns, who were in command for only 2 minutes and 19 seconds but in the homestretch.
Gov. Dennis Pineda, also the head coach of the Giant Lanterns, praised his players for trusting each other and thanked the Pampanguenos for their wholehearted support. Pineda revealed that their supporters, transported by 11 buses and numerous vans, made them feel like they were playing on their home court, keeping their fighting spirit alive even when the Knights were pulling away.
Pineda and Giant Lanterns team owner Cong. Dong Gonzales received the championship trophy, their first in the 29-team MPBL, from Commissioner Kenneth Duremdes and Executive Officer Joe Ramos.
Just when Pampanga closed in at 57-61, San Juan unleashed three straight triples to pull away again, leading 70-57 after three quarters, only to falter in the final stretch.
The Knights pulled away at 36-17 on a steal and fast break by Adrian Nocum, but the Giant Lanterns countered with a 17-point salvo through Garcia and Baltazar against a triple by Nikko Panganiban, narrowing the gap to 38-41. Mike Calisaan then made a corner jumper to extend San Juan’s lead to 43-38 at halftime.
A string of four triples, two by Panganiban, propelled the Knights to a 28-10 lead late in the first quarter.
