Abra conquers MPBL title

Alta Sports5 months ago · 40 views

Dave Ildefonso showed why he is the Most Valuable Player, leading Abra past Quezon Province, 94-85, in overtime and into the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League 2025 Season national title at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City last Tuesday.

Just hours after being named the league's best player, Ildefonso pumped in seven points in a closing 15-5 run that gave the Weavers their third straight win over the Huskers in the best-of-five series.

Encho Serrano added six points and Jason Brickman two points for Abra, the North Division champion, in that decisive stretch as the Weavers finished the MPBL Seventh Season with a record 36 straight wins, including an 81-80 overtime nipping of Quezon in Game One 1 a come-from-behind 62-58 victory in Game 2.

Ildefonso posted 23 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and a steal, followed by Brickman, adjudged the Finals MVP, with 22 points, 5 assists, and two rebounds; and Serrano with 21 points, 9 rebounds, two assists, and one steal.

Other Weavers who delivered were Mike Ayonayon with nine points and three rebounds, and John Uduba with six points and 10 rebounds.

Quezon opened the third quarter with 11 straight points, seven points by Judel Fuentes, and four by Joseph Gabayni to pull ahead at 66-56.

The Weavers clustered nine points, capped by a triple by Ildefonso to knot the count at 70. Quezon was still ahead, 75-73, but John Uduba got open inside and knotted the count with 16.1 seconds left. Gab Banal then missed a potential decider at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime at 75.

The Huskers drew 15 points, three rebounds, and an assist from Fuentes, who missed the first two games due to an ankle injury; Ximone Sandagon with 12 points, 9 rebounds and two steals, Alfrancis Tamsi with 10 points, 6 rebounds and two assists, and Joshua Yerro with 10 points and two rebounds.

After the final buzzer, the Weavers, led by team owner Cong. JB Bernos, head coach, Yong Garcia and team manager Chris Conwi erupted in celebration.

Abra dropped an 8-1 run, capped by a Brickman triple, to pull ahead, 38-29.

Quezon, however, countered behind back-to-back triples by Fuentes and Banal to narrow the gap, 38-35, at the break.

Brickman scored nine points in the second quarter for a 13 total in the first 20 minutes.

Pasay handed Abra its lone loss, 70-60, on March 19, after which the Weavers went on a 35-game winning spree, including a 2-0 sweep of Ilagan, Isabela, in the quarterfinal round, a 2-0 sweep of Caloocan in the semifinals, and a 3-0 sweep of Pangasinan in the North Finals.

Abra, which reached the quarterfinal playoffs in its maiden stint last year, joined Batangas (2018), San Juan (2019), Davao Occidental (2021), Nueva Ecija (2022), and Pampanga (2023-2024) in the MPBL champions list.

—JMS, Alta Sports