San Juan, Basilan open divisional finals with wins

The San Juan Knights and the Basilan Steel opened the 2019/2020 Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Lakan Cup divisional finals with wins.
San Juan won Game 1 of the Northern Division finals with a 76-60 victory over the Makati Super Crunch on Monday at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City; while Basilan took the lead in the Southern Division after defeating the Davao Occidental Tigers, 74-72, at the Davao del Norte Sports Complex in Tagum City.
Down 51-46 in the third quarter, San Juan unleashed a 10-0 run heading into the final period, where they further widened their lead to 71-55 with 1:52 left in the game.
Jhonard Clarito led San Juan with a double-double on 19 points and 18 rebounds; while Mike Ayonayon finished with 13 markers, six boards, and three assists; and John Wilson added 11 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.
In the Southern Division, after seeing their six-point lead shrink to 73-72 with 15 second left in the game, Jessie Collado blocked a go-ahead try by Billy Ray Robles of the Davao Occidental. Meanwhile, Allyn Bulanadi extended Basilan’s lead to two with a split from the line before seeing the Tiger’s June Kenneth Mocon misfire a three-point attempt at the buzzer.
Bulanadi finished the match with 15 points and nine rebounds for Basilan; while Jhaps Bautista and Bobby Balucanag each added 12 markers; and Hesed Gabo dished out 12 assists, two points, and four rebounds./ASC, WDJ