LAMITAN CITY -- Buhay pa ang Sultan ng South Division.

Napigilan ng No.1 seed Davao Occidental-Cocolife ang tuluyang pagkasilat sa No.3 seed Basilan-Jumbo Plastic sa krusyal na 81-76 sa Game 2 at maipuwersa ang ‘do-or-die’ sa 2020 Chooks-to-Go MPBL Lakan South Division Finals nitong Miyerkoles sa Lamitan City Gym dito.

Sa kabila ng home court advantage, nagawang magpakatatag ng Tigers, higit sa krusyal na sandali matapos maitabla ni Allyn Bulanadi ang iskor sa dalawang ulit 74-all may 1:33 ang nalalabi at 76-all sa huling 56.2 segundo.

Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, chair ng Coordination Commission ng Brisbane 2032

Sa dikdikang laban, nagawang makaungos ng Tigers at matikas na nadepensahan angh Steels sa huling isang mionuto ng laro upang maitabla ang best-of-three series sa 1-1.

“We were doing good but Basilan is bound to come back. They are big shotmakers. But our guys fought tonight with our backs against the wall and I can’t be more proud,” pahayag ni Davao coach Don Dulay.

“We have pretty tough defenders on our side. It’s always a team effort and not just rely on Eman, Mocon, Billy. It has to be always a team effort,” aniya.

Nanguna sa Davao si Eman Calo na may 17 puntos, walong rebounds, tatlong assists, at tatlong steals, habang kumana si Richard Albo ng 14 puntos.

Kumubra ng 24 puntos si Bautista para sa Basilan, habang nag-ambag si Jay Collado ng 21 markers at walong rebounds.

Gaganapin ang winner-take-all rubber match sa Sabado sa Davao.

Samantala, naipuwersa rin ng Makati-Super Crunch ang ‘do-or-die’ sa kanilang North Division Finals kontra San Juan-Go For Gold, 91-88, sa closed door game sa FilOil Flying V Centre.

“We talked to each other na we’ve been in this situation before, na our backs are against the wall. Kailangan bumalik tayo sa sistema natin, at siyempre, yung depensa,” pahayag ni Makati head coach Beaujing Acot.

Iskor:

(South)

Davao Occidental 81 -- Calo 17, Albo 14, Mocon 10, Custodio 8, Robles 7, Yee 7, Terso 6, Balagtas 4, Saldua 4, Gaco 2, Ludovice 1, Forrester 1.

Basilan 76 -- Bautista 24, Collado 21, Bulanadi 7, Balucanag 7, Gabo 6, Dumapig 5, Dagangon 2, Bringas 2, Uyloan 2, Manalang 0, Palencia 0, Daa 0.

Quarterscores: 15-18, 36-37, 64-55, 81-76.

(North)

Makati (91) -- Apinan 20, Baloria 18, Sedurifa 15, Torralba 14, Ablaza 13, Cruz 5, Villanueva 3, Atkins 3, Lingganay 0, Importante 0.

San Juan (88) -- Wilson 21, Estrella 17, Isit 17, Clarito 12, Ayonayon 7, Tajonera 4, Wamar 4, Gabawan 2, Aquino 2, Victoria 1, Bunag 1, Reyes 0, Pelayo 0.