Cebu City, Philippines— Cebuano guard Joseph Airo Nalos made the biggest shot of the game, converting a floater with just seconds remaining to help give the Zamboanga-Family’s Brand Sardines an 87-83 win over last season’s runners-up, the Muntinlupa Cagers, 87-83, in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Datu Cup on Monday, March 25, 2019, at the Batangas City Coliseum.
The victory gave Zamboanga a 2-1 series win in the quarterfinals, putting them in the semifinals, where they await the winner of the series between Imus Bandera and the reigning title holder, the Batangas Athletics.
Nalos, a crafty guard who helped Southwestern University (SWU)-Phinma win its very first Cesafi collegiate championship, was the man of the hour for Zamboanga as he shot in a floater with 39 seconds left that put them ahead, 84-83.
The 5-foot-9 Nalos ended up with MPBL career-high numbers of 19 points and 10 assists.
Another Cesafi product, ex-University of the Visayas Green Lancer guard Von Lanete made a free-throw to extend Zamboanga’s lead to 85-83.
Muntinlupa failed to convert on their offensive and later, Robin Rono sealed Zamboanga’s victory with two free-throws. /bmjo