PAMPANGA and La Union took a step closer to advancing to the finals of the Chooks-to-Go NBL Chairman’s Cup 2021 after winning in Game One of their respective semifinals series on Saturday night at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center.
NBL semis recap
Encho Serrano and Levi Hernandez helped the Delta in overcoming a 17-point deficit to beat Taguig, 108-102, in their series opener, while Jonathan Ablao erupted from threes as the PAOwer defeated Muntinlupa, 102-86, to earn first blood of the best-of-three semifinals.
Pampanga and La Union can arrange a rematch of their finals clash last year with a win in Game Two on Sunday at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center.
The Delta won last year's titular showdown against the PAOwer under a bubble set-up to conclude the third season of the homegrown regional league.
The Delta made a furious comeback after trailing 33-16. Down 41-26 in the second period, Serrano and Hernandez scored 16 points to cut the deficit to one point at the half, 53-52.
Pampanga outscored Taguig, 34-23, to take an 86-76 lead.
The Generals went on a tear, cutting the deficit to 103-100 late in the game but Mark Dyke scored a putback on a missed free throw by Hernandez to pad the lead to six.
Dyke had 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Delta.
The PAOwer went on an 11-0 start, with Ablao maintaining that big lead with three triples in the first period to hold a 35-13 advantage. Ablao finished the game with 21 points on 4 of 9 shooting from threes as La Union moved closer to a finals return.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph