The Abra Solid North Weavers are one win away from the MPBL national finals. That’s the headline. It’s also a statement.
Abra shifted into high gear in the second half to beat San Juan, 76-65, on Monday and take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five North Division Finals at the Gov. Andres Bernos Memorial Gymnasium in Bangued. Game 3 is set for Saturday, November 14, at a venue still to be announced. A win there, and the defending champions are back in the national finals with a shot at a second straight crown.
How the Weavers Got Here
Abra has been the team to beat all year. The Weavers finished the regular season 23-2 as the top seed in the North. The only real blemish came in May, when San Juan handed them a 66-58 loss that ended a 38-game winning streak dating back to March 2025.
The playoffs have been a different story:
- Quarterfinals: Abra swept Quezon City, 2-0. The opener was a 106-54 massacre.
- Semifinals: The Weavers swept Pasay, 2-0, closing it out with a 77-69 win behind Dave Ildefonso.
- North Finals: Up 2-0 on San Juan, the same team that ended their streak.
Game 1 Was a Scare, Game 2 a Statement
Game 1 nearly got away from Abra. The Weavers led, 56-49, only for San Juan to string together nine unanswered points, capped by a Mike Calisaan basket that put the Knights ahead with 23 seconds left. Then Ildefonso, who had a miserable night, got one more shot at redemption. He followed up his own miss with 15.4 seconds to go for a 59-58 win. He finished with just seven points, and Harold Alarcon’s jumper at the buzzer missed.
Game 2 was a far cry from that. Abra led, 35-27, at the half and then blew the game open with a 10-point run that made it 47-31. The production was spread around:
- DJ Fenner: 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.
- Ildefonso: 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists.
- Raven Gonzales: 13 points and 9 rebounds, good for SportsPlus Best Player honors.
Why San Juan Is Running Out of Road
The Knights have fought hard, and Calisaan did his part again with 20 points and 7 rebounds, while AC Soberano added 15. But they are patched up. Terrence Fortea is out, and Orlan Wamar has been dealing with a sprain. It’s hard to beat a team this deep in Bangued once, let alone twice in a row.
The South Is Still Up for Grabs
Abra’s likely opponent in the finals is still unsettled. Quezon Province and Biñan Tatak Gel are tied 1-1 in the South Finals, with Game 3 on Wednesday, November 11, at 6:30 p.m. at the Alonte Sports Arena in Biñan, Laguna. Quezon is a familiar foe. It was Abra’s victim in last year’s finals, a 3-0 sweep that featured two overtime games.
Back-to-Back Is Not Done, But It’s Close
Make no mistake: Abra has not won anything yet. The national finals run from November 30 to December 18 and are now a best-of-seven. That’s a longer road than last year’s.
Still, look at the form. The Weavers have won three of their last four playoff games by double digits, with the one exception decided by a single point on a putback. They’re deep, they’re experienced, and they have the reigning MVP, who just figured out how to be great even when he’s not scoring.
Abra is the champion. For now, it’s playing like one.
Next Up for the MPBL
Wednesday, November 11, 2026 | Alonte Sports Arena, Biñan, Laguna
South Finals Game 3, Quezon Province vs. Biñan Tatak Gel (6:30 p.m.)
Saturday, November 14, 2026 | Venue TBA
North Finals Game 3, Abra Solid North vs. San Juan (time TBA)
