Caloocan relied on a decisive 15-point surge in the third quarter to knock out reigning back-to-back champion Pampanga, 81-71, in the North Division quarterfinals on Saturday, advancing to the semifinals of the Manny Pacquiao Presents MPBL 2025 Season at the Caloocan Sports Complex.
Trailing 49-53, the Batang Kankaloo heated up behind Irven Palencia, John Tayongtong, Rommel Calahat, and Paul Hendrix Casin. The team took control at 64-53 and never let up, echoing their 65-61 win in Game 1 on October 10.
Palencia capped the rally with a long triple and opened the fourth quarter with another basket, giving Caloocan its largest lead of the game at 66-53.
Pampanga managed to cut the deficit to 72-66 with contributions from Larry Muyang and Jhan Nermal. But a triple by Jeff Manday and a four-point play by Casin sealed the outcome at 78-68 with just 54.3 seconds remaining.
Manday led Caloocan with 19 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals, while Cervantes added 16 points and four rebounds.
Casin contributed 14 points, two rebounds, and two steals, and Calahat finished with 10 points, four assists, and three rebounds under Coach Mike Saguiguit.
Pampanga was paced by Nermal’s 15 points and Muyang’s double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds, along with two assists and two blocks.
However, main man Archie Concepcion was limited to just seven points, making only two of seven field-goal attempts.
Caloocan will now face Abra Solid North in a best-of-three North Division semifinal series.
Abra Solid North advanced after rallying past Ilagan Isabela, 73-69, ending the Cowboys’ first tournament run.
The Weavers clawed back from a 53-63 deficit with 6:45 remaining, executing a 15-3 blitz led by Dave Ildefonso to take a 68-66 lead with 1:04 left.
Jayboy Solis briefly gave the Cowboys hope with a triple, but Marwin Taywan answered with a triple and two free throws, sealing Abra’s record 28th consecutive win, including 26 in the round-robin elimination phase of the two-division, 30-team tournament.
Ildefonso posted 17 points, nine rebounds, and three assists, earning best player honors over Encho Serrano, who had 16 points and three rebounds.
Mike Ayonayon added 11 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two blocks, while Taywan contributed 11 points and three assists.
Agem Miranda stepped up for the injured Arth Dela Cruz, leading the Cowboys with 17 points, five assists, three rebounds, and three steals.
Donald Gumaru chipped in 14 points — including four triples — eight rebounds, and five assists, and Solis added 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Free-throw struggles hurt the Cowboys, who converted only 1 of 8 attempts (12.5%), while the Weavers were efficient at 25 of 31 (80.6%).
The MPBL South Division playoffs continue on Monday, Oct. 20, at the Malolos Sports and Convention Center, with Quezon Province facing Mindoro at 5:00 PM, and Basilan taking on Gensan at 7:00 PM.
