Championship GAME MPBL
Adi Santos devastates Batangas at the Championship GAME MPBL, propelling Zamboanga to the championship game. Brand Sardines of Zamboanga Family capitalized on a frigid Batangas City Embassy Chill in the fourth quarter to win 63-53 and force a Game 3 decider for the South division championship of the OKbet-MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 4th Season Presented by Xtreme at the Batangas City Coliseum.
Read more : MPBL GAME-FIXING | COMMITTED TO MOVE BEYOND AND BETTING SCANDALS TO IMPROVE THE LEAGUE 2022.Both sides battled offensively in the last ten minutes, but the Zamboanguenos came out on top with 15 points, nine of which came from Adi Santos, who equaled the nine-point performance of the entire Batangas squad.
Santos, a former Batangas player, finished with 13 points and eight rebounds and was awarded the game’s best player.
Jhapz Bautista led the Zamboanga scoring with 17 points, but was limited to three in the second half.
Jaycee Marcelino of Zamboanga finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and five steals at Championship GAME MPBL.
Cedric Ablaza led Batangas with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Jeckster Apinan added 11 points and eight rebounds.
When the series returns to the Vitaliano Agan Coliseum for Game 3 at the Championship GAME MPBL, the winner will face the winner of the North division championship series between Nueva Ecija and San Juan.
The Athletics trailed by as much as 9-24 before rallying to tie the game at 28 with 4:03 remaining in the second quarter.
Santos’ two free throws gave Zamboanga the lead again, but Batangas responded with a 6-point run to conclude the half ahead 34-30.