Undefeated Talk ‘N Text and PBA Greats hacked out contrasting victories against separate foes to advance in the Finals of the 2024 Batang PBA-Centrum Kids 11-under tournament on Friday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
The Batang Tropang Giga scored a wire-to-wire victory against NLEX, 60-41, while the PBA Greats stunned previously unbeaten PBA Stalwarts, 58-56, in the knockout semifinals.
Markie Obag led the way with eight points and 12 other players racked up the scoring board for TNT, which extended its winning streak to five games.
On the other hand, Zigrid Kian Hernandez poured 22 points for the Group B second-seed PBA Greats, who eliminated the PBA Stalwarts, who swept Group A with a 4-0 record.
Karim Abdul backstopped Hernandez with 15 points as the PBA Greats earned a shot to challenge TNT in the knockout finale on Monday at the same venue.
In the four-team 9-under division, unbeaten Barangay Ginebra and previously winless Blackwater forged an unlikely finale duel after big semis wins against separate opponents.
Jariel Centeno fired 21 points to lead Ginebra to a 48-38 win against Magnolia as Luke Maninang scored 13 points in Blackwater’s 47-39 upset of Converge.
The 9-under finale will also be played on Monday along with four games in the 15-under that just started on Thursday.
