The troika of Archie Concepcion, MJ Garcia and Encho Serrano struck hard during crunch time to give the Pampanga Giant Lanterns a 68-65 win in Game 2 and a commanding 2-0 lead in their race-to-three title series with the Bacoor Strikers in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Fifth Season national title at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando, Pampanga.
Concepcion sank a triple while Garcia and Serrano chipped in a basket each to break a 61-all score to hand the Giant Lanterns the imposing series lead.
It was a heartbreaking loss for the Strikers, who even had a taste of the lead at 56-53, with 8:23 remaining in regulation.
The Strikers actually were still in the thick of the fight up to the last second but James Kwekuteye flubbed a hurried three-pointer while veteran Mark Yee was unable to get off in time as the buzzer sounded.
Archie Concepcion, chosen for the second Mythical Team, led Pampanga with 13 points and eight rebounds to earn best player honors over newly installed MVP Justine Baltazar, who posted 13 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.
Encho Serrano drilled in eight points, six rebounds and five feeds, while John Lloyd Clemente and Jayson Apolonio added seven points each for Pampanga Gov. Dennis Pineda, also the Giant Lanterns’ head coach.
Atoning for his dismal two-point output in the opener, Kwekuteye poured 16 points, 12 coming in the first half as the Strikers stayed close, 29-33. By then, Baltazar had 11 points and five rebounds.
Bacoor got 12 points from Chito Jaime and 11 from Yvan Ludovice.
The game was tight from the start with neither team leading by more than seven points until the end.
A long triple by Game 1 top scorer Kurt Reyson put Pampanga back on top, 50-49, after three quarters.
MPBL founder and chief executive officer Manny Pacquiao attended the game and awarded Baltazar with the special MVP ball during the awarding ceremonies of the season’s best performers earlier.
