San Juan banked on the heads-up play of Orlan Wamar and the clutch hits of Nikko Panganiban and Marwin Taywan to stun Nueva Ecija, 86-82, on Friday in the opener of their best-of-three semifinal series in the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) Fifth Season at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando, Pampanga.
Wamar drove in with 32 seconds left and then found an open Taywan for the game-clinching triple with 18 ticks to go as the San Juan Knights completed their come-from-behind victory over the defending champions.
In the other game, Pampanga demolished Caloocan, 74-63, in a win that also shoved them within a win of the North Division finals.
Nueva Ecija surged ahead, 50-36, early in the third quarter, but San Juan, behind Zach Huang and Panganiban unloaded 13 points against a lone basket by Will McAloney to threaten at 57-59.
Panganiban poured 11 points in the fourth quarter, while Calisaan added five to help frustrate Nueva Ecija, which regained the lead at 82-81 following a triple by Byron Villarias with 44 seconds to go.
San Juan thus matched its performance against Nueva Ecija in last year’s North Division finals when it prevailed in Game One. That time, however, the Knights dropped the last two and the Rice Vanguards proceeded to bag the North championship and eventually the national title over South division titlist Zamboanga Family’s Brand Sardines.
Wamar wound up with 19 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals to earn best player honors over Panganiban, who posted 17 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Huang tallied 13 points and 8 rebounds while Calisaan contributed 10 points and 9 rebounds.
The hometown crowd, of course, was more interested in how Pampanga would fare against veteran-laden Caloocan.
They weren’t disappointed as the Giant Lanterns, behind the glowing performances of Justine Baltazar, Louie Sangalang and Encho Serrano sealed the outcome with a 70-41 spread early in the final quarter.
Baltazar, the MVP race pacesetter, posted 17 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 assists to run away with the best player honors and lift the Giant Lanterns to their 13th win at home.
Sangalang and Serrano added 9 points each, while Arwind Santos and Neil Tolentino contributed 8 points each for Pampanga Gov. Dennis Pineda, also the Giant Lanterns’ head coach.
