The Pampanga Giant Lanterns escaped the Bataan Risers with a 66-62 win in the final match of their best-of-three series at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando, Pampanga. Earnest Reyes is the best player of the game after he dropped 10 points in addition to his 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks to lead the Giant Lanterns' victory.
Three other players from Pampanga scored in double digits to help the team crawl its way to the North Division Semi-Finals where they will face the vaunted Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards. Archie Concepcion contributed 13 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and a block for the Giant Lanterns in 25:51 minutes of play.
His teammate Topeng Lagrama added 13 points, 9 of which came beyond the arc, and 2 assists. Meanwhile, Dominick Vera dropped 10 points to go along his 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.
James Castro topscored for the Bataan Risers with his own 14 points but he struggled from the field as he only converted 33.3% of his field goal attempts. He also grabbed 9 rebounds and dished out 3 assists while stealing 3 possessions. Uncharacteristically, he went 3/9 from the line.
It is the second season in a row that Pampanga Giant Lanterns sent home the Bataan Risers in the Playoffs. With the win, the Lanterns will face the heavily favored Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards in the North Division Semi-Finals starting on November 07, 2022 at Palayan City, Nueva Ecija.
Box Score
Pampanga: Concepcion 13, Lagrama 13, Vera, 10, Reyes 10, Ramos 6, Apolonio 6, Garcia 4, Jamito 2, Binuya 2, Pascual 0, Isidro 0, Capulong 0, Mallari 0, Maynes 0, R. Capulong 0.
Bataan: Castro 14, Torrado 10, Sombero 8, Bringas 7, Espuelas 6, Gabawan 6, Gallardo, 4, Lastimosa 4, Bilugan 3, Paguio Jr. 0, Bondoc 0, David 0, Garcia 0, Buco 0, Magno 0.