San Juan, Navotas gain MBT North semis

MANILA, Philippines — Second seed San Juan edged No. 7 Valenzuela, 88-86, while No. 5 Navotas upended fourth seed Marikina, 78-75, to advance to the semifinal round in the North Division of the 2017 Metro Basketball Tournament (MBT) seniors competitions at the San Juan gym.

John Zamora and Joshua Montero scored 19 points apiece as San Juan held off Valenzuela’s rally to advance in the tournament organized by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and sponsored by Synergy 88, San Miguel Corp., World Balance and Higer Bus.

The Whatta Whatta, which finished in a three-way tie with Manila and Marikina at 4-2 after the classification stage but took the higher seeding by virtue of a superior quotient, will face the winner of the Manila-Caloocan quarterfinal duel. The semis is also a knockout phase.

San Juan, which actually lost to Valenzuela, 85-89, in the classification phase last Oct. 8, appeared headed to an easy win after posting an 86-72 lead with 3:40 left in the contest.