Quezon buried Parañaque with a scoring surge in the fourth quarter, clinching a 75-62 victory on Monday night in Game One of their Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Sixth Season South Division semifinal series at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City.
Locked in a 50-50 tie, the Huskers unleashed a 13-point run, ignited by a triple from Gab Banal and consecutive threes from Judel Fuentes, to pull away with 5:34 remaining.
The win puts Quezon within one victory of the division finals, where they’ll face either South Cotabato or Batangas.
In the other semifinal, South Cotabato, powered by Christian Fajarito, defeated Batangas City Tanduay, 87-76.
Following Quezon’s late barrage, Parañaque managed to cut the deficit to 61-70 after two free throws by Jielo Razon, a drive, and a three-pointer by John Umali with 1:24 left on the clock.
Banal, displaying the form that earned him the MPBL Datu Cup MVP award, recorded 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists, earning Daily Fantasy best player honors over Ximone Sandagon, who tallied 16 points and 5 rebounds, and Fuentes, who contributed 13 points.
The Huskers, led by head coach Eric Gonzales, can close out the best-of-three series with another win against the underdog Patriots in Game 2 on Monday, Nov. 4. Homegrown talent Topeng Lagrama also stood out with 7 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds.
Parañaque received solid performances from John Uduba, who had 14 points and 8 rebounds, and Jielo Razon, who contributed 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists.
(C) MPBL
Fajarito, limited to 16 out of 28 elimination games due to injuries, starred for South Cotabato with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal in just under 23 minutes, earning him Daily Fantasy best player honors.
The 6-foot-6 former Letran standout received ample support from Marwin Dionisio (10 points, 4 rebounds), Jammer Jamito (9 points, 11 rebounds), Mark Cruz (9 points, 5 assists), and Val Acuna (9 points, 2 assists), allowing the Warriors to build a 62-43 lead with a 10-point surge.
The Warriors dominated the boards, 49-39, and capitalized on second-chance points, outscoring the Rum Masters 28-8 in that category.
In free throws, the Warriors excelled, making 13 of 15 attempts (86.7%), while Batangas struggled, converting only half of their 22 attempts.
Batangas saw solid contributions from Levi Hernandez (16 points, 6 rebounds), Dawn Ochea (10 points, 7 rebounds), and Jeckster Apinan (9 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists).
South Cotabato surged with an 8-0 run to extend their lead to 45-32 late in the second quarter and never relinquished it.
The MPBL playoffs resume Wednesday, Oct. 30, with North Division matchups between San Juan and Caloocan at 6 p.m., followed by Nueva Ecija versus Pampanga at 8 p.m. at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando, Pampanga. San Juan and Pampanga, each aiming to sweep their series after wins in their openers, look to set up a North Division finals showdown.
