Davao Occidental exacts revenge on San Juan, clinches MPBL title

March 22 ------ The Davao Occidental Tigers turned to Mark Yee to complete their payback against the San Juan Knights and rule the Lakan Cup of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League. Yee drained the go-ahead three-pointer as Davao Occidental hacked out an 89-88 overtime win over defending champion San Juan in Subic on Sunday, March 21, wrapping up the best-of-five finals in 4 games. The Knights took an 88-86 lead with a minute left in the extra period off a Larry Rodriguez bank shot before Yee put the Tigers back on top with a booming triple with 14 ticks left.

Yee – who finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks – then forced a Jhonard Clarito turnover in the ensuing possession as Davao Occidental milked the clock up to the final buzzer. Waterworks followed, with Davao Occidental finally avenging its finals loss to San Juan last season.

Eman Calo topscored for the Tigers with 22 points to go with 2 steals, Billy Ray Robles chalked up 11 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals, while Joseph Terso had 11 points and 4 assists. Marco Balagtas made his presence felt in the win with 8 points, all scored in the 4th quarter. The Knights were primed to extend the series to a decider as Rodriguez imposed his will by scoring 6 of their 8 points in overtime, including the putback that gave them an 88-86 advantage.

Source: rappler.com