The Pampanga Giant Lanterns won the National Championship trophy of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) 2023 Season after sweeping the Bacoor City Strikers, 3-0, in their best of five series.
The dynamic duo of Justine Baltazar and Encho Serrano led the dominant season of the Lanterns where they ended the regular season with a 26-2 record for a 1st seed overall finish. They then swept all their games in the playoffs against the Marikina Shoemasters, Caloocan Batang Kankaloo, San Juan Knights and the Bacoor City Strikers.
The other members of the Pampanga Giant Lanterns championship squad include Allen Liwag, Archie Concepcion, Arwind Santos, Jayson Apolonio, JB Bahio, John Lloyd Clemente, Kevin Kyle Santos, Kurt Reyson, Louie Sangalang, MJ Garcia, Neil Tolentino, Raymond Binuya and Ronan Santos. Governor Delta Pineda was the head coach of the Pampanga Giant Lanterns in the 2023 MPBL Season.
PAMPANGA GIANT LANTERNS GAME SCORES
2023 MPBL SEASON
| Date | Opponent | Scores | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2 | Bacoor | 82-77 | Win |
| Nov 28 | Bacoor | 68-65 | Win |
| Nov 25 | Bacoor | 71-58 | Win |
| Nov. 14 | San Juan | 82-76 | Win |
| Nov. 11 | San Juan | 86-82 | Win |
| Nov. 3 | Caloocan | 93-77 | Win |
| Oct. 27 | Caloocan | 74-63 | Win |
| Oct. 13 | Marikina | 81-61 | Win |
| Oct. 6 | Marikina | 82-70 | Win |
| Sep. 30 | San Juan | 89-73 | Win |
| Sep. 26 | Muntinlupa | 87-73 | Win |
| Sep. 14 | Bacolod | 103-86 | Win |
| Aug. 24 | Zamboanga | 77-71 | Win |
| Aug. 16 | Or. Mindoro | 91-70 | Win |
| Aug. 10 | Paranaque | 88-82 | Win |
| Aug. 4 | Makati | 97-102 | Loss |
| Jul. 28 | Quezon | 83-60 | Win |
| Jul. 22 | Bacoor | 78-70 | Win |
| Jul. 18 | Iloilo | 93-66 | Win |
| Jul. 13 | Batangas | 92-95 | Loss |
| Jul. 16 | Bulacan | 121-88 | Win |
| Jul. 1 | N. Ecija | 76-64 | Win |
| Jun. 26 | Pasay | 108-89 | Win |
| Jun. 20 | Rizal | 93-80 | Win |
| Jun. 15 | Pasig | 81-66 | Win |
| Jun. 9 | Sarangani | 99-92 | Win |
| Jun. 5 | Manila | 91-63 | Win |
| May 30 | Bataan | 74-72 | Win |
| May 24 | Quezon City | 115-79 | Win |
| May 19 | Marikina | 83-75 | Win |
| May 15 | Caloocan | 76-68 | Win |
| May 11 | Bicol | 132-87 | Win |
| May 8 | Gensan | 83-81 | Win |
| May 2 | Laguna | 109-85 | Win |
| Apr. 27 | Valenzuela | 79-55 | Win |
| Apr. 20 | Imus | 93-72 | Win |
| Apr. 13 | Negros | 79-66 | Win |
The Pampanga Giant Lanterns only lost twice in the entire 2023 season of the MPBL. The Batangas Embassy Chill handed them their first loss, 92-95, last July 13, 2023.
They then bounced back with a three (3) game winning streak before losing anew versus the Makati Okbet Kings, 97-102. That was the last time the Lanterns lost a game as they closed out the season with a 15 game winning run enroute to the championship trophy.