The Pampanga Giant Lanterns managed to punch a ticket to the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) season 6 division finals after taking down the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards in a nail biting OT victory in game 2 of their best-of-three semi finals matchup.
Encho Serrano, the hero of the night, was a man on a mission – to bring the Giant Lanterns closer to the championship trophy. The 6-foot point guard checked back with less than twelve seconds left remaining to play and was immediately fouled by the opposing teams, resulting in two free throws which Serrano easily converted to two points, putting them in a much better advantage, 83-80. The former Phoenix star finished with 23 points, 3 assists, and 5 rebounds. On the other hand, despite a poor shooting night, Justine Baltazar was still able to support the team with another double-double, 10 points, and 25 rebounds on top of his 2 rejections.
Another key piece from Pampanga was MJ Garcia. The 25-year-old guard scored 6 of his 10 points in OT, leading the team to the overtime dub. Archie Concepcion also chipped in with 18 points, 4 boards, 4 dimes, and a couple of blocks.
The Giant Lanterns completely outrebounded the Rice Vanguards (67-56). In addition, they were also shooting better from the charity stripes. Although the latter tried pushing back behind Will McAloney, MJ Ayaay, and John Wilson, the reigning champs proved to be the better team overall.
The North remembers: Pampanga and San Juan ready for their much-awaited rematch
After sweeping the Caloocan Batang Kankaloo earlier, the San Juan Knights are ready to take on the Giant Lanterns once again in the North finals.
Last season, San Juan came up short against Pampanga, losing the series via a clean sweep by Baltazar, 0-2. Now, the top 2 teams in the North will be facing each other once again in the grand stage.
The Scores:
- Pampanga Giant Lanterns vs. Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards (83-80)
- San Juan Knights vs. Caloocan Batang Kankaloo (86-80)
