Pampanga Pradera is on the verge of completing an 11-game sweep of the 2023 Manila Bankers Life-Pilipinas Super League 18-Under Luzon Leg after securing an 85-72 victory over Quezon in the best-of-three finals on Sunday at the San Andres Sports Complex in Manila.
Meanwhile, Farm Fresh-Letran showcased its strength by defeating EZ Jersey-Doc Boleros, 93-77, and is now just one win away from dominating the National Capital Region.
Pampanga and the Milkers can secure their respective spots in the national finals of this tournament, co-presented by SCD and Dumper party-list and supported by J Project Clothings, MDC, Bluesky Advertising, NET 25, Wcube Solutions Inc., Hotel SOGO, and Converge.
The NCR Leg Game 2 will take place on Tuesday at Ynares Sports Arena, with tip-off scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
Already qualified for the national finals, which will begin on July 15 in Pampanga, are Mindanao champions Cagayan de Oro Higalas B, Max Ballers Davao, and Visayas survivor Sherilin Khalifa City of Naga.
In their victory, Elijah Yusi and Veejay Pre collaborated for Pampanga, each scoring 22 points, with Pre also grabbing 11 rebounds. Ethan Alian, a commit of De La Salle University, contributed 13 points off the bench, while Jolo Navarro secured 10 rebounds and added eight points.
Farm Fresh-Letran, on the other hand, was led by the 19 points of their floor general, Jonathan Manalili. George Diamante, who played only 15 minutes for the Milkers, contributed seven points and nine rebounds.
Siplicio Adame paced Quezon with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Mowell Morales, a commit of College of Saint Benilde, scored 16 points and grabbed six boards.
However, turnovers plagued Quezon throughout the contest, committing 19 errors that resulted in 23 points for Pampanga.
Mark De Leon was the sole bright spot for Doc Boleros, finishing with 23 points.