Quezon and Binan advance to another MPBL South title showdown
The best-of-five finals start on November 3 in Lucena City, with top-seeded Quezon pursuing a third straight division championship.
Quezon and Binan will meet again for the SportsPlus MPBL South Division championship after each won its semifinal series 2-0. The Huskers eliminated the Cebu Greats with an 83-55 victory, while Binan Tatak Gel beat Rizal XentroMall 81-67 at Alonte Sports Arena in Binan, Laguna.
The opening game of the best-of-five finals is scheduled for November 3 at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City. Quezon holds the division's first seed and Binan the second. Binan lost last year's South Finals to Quezon, 2-3.
Nic Cabanero earned Best Player honours for Binan, recording 32 points alongside 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Rizal held a 34-29 advantage at the interval, but Binan was ahead 56-48 after three quarters.
Carlo Lastimosa added 13 points and seven rebounds, with consecutive three-pointers extending Binan's advantage to 71-58 with 3:26 remaining. Pamboy Raymundo finished with 12 points and 13 assists.
Quezon recovered from a 38-35 half-time deficit against Cebu. Judel Fuentes supplied 11 points during a 13-point burst as the Huskers kept Cebu scoreless for 4:54 and moved ahead 69-51. Fuentes scored 20 overall, while Christian Pagaran's 16 points and three assists earned him Best Player recognition.
The Greats scored just four fourth-quarter points, with Quezon adding the final 11 points of the contest. Elmer Echavez was Cebu's leading scorer with nine. Quezon starting centre Cedric Manzano contributed five points and two rebounds on his return following an injury absence lasting more than a month.
