MANILA – San Juan Knights leaned on a strong fourth quarter surge to crash Makati-Super Crunch, 76-60, in Game 1 of the 2020 Chooks-to-Go Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League North Division Finals at the San Juan Arena on March 9.
Down 46-51 in the latter part of the third period, the defending champion San Juan released a huge 10-0 offensive blast that gave them a 56-51 lead heading into the final quarter.
The Knights then wreaked havoc defensively in the fourth frame, limiting Makati to just a field goal and a freebie in the first 8:08 of the period while also scoring 15 markers to build a 16-point advantage with 1:52 left at 71-55.
Jhonard Clarito spearheaded the attack for the Knights with a double-double performance of 19 points and 18 rebounds, Mike Ayonayon had 13 markers, six boards and three assists, while John Wilson added 11 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
In the South Division Finals that reached until the wee hours of Tuesday, meanwhile, the visiting Basilan-Jumbo Plastic Steel pulled off a stunning 74-72 victory over Davao Occidental-Cocolife Tigers.
After seeing its six-point lead cut to 73-72 with 15 seconds left, Basilan’s Jessie Collado pulled off a huge defensive stop by blocking the go-ahead try of Davao’s Billy Ray Robles.
Basilan’s Allyn Bulanadi then extended the lead to two with a split free throw before seeing Davao’s June Kenneth Mocon fail on his three-point attempt at the buzzer.
Bulanadi finished the match with 15 points to go along with nine rebounds, Jhaps Bautista and Bobby Balucanag added 12 markers each, while Hesed Gabo dished 12 assists on top of two points and four rebounds for the winning team./PN
