Villafranca the hero as Sharks shock Lanterns

CEBU, Philippines — Kevin Villafranca drilled the game-winning basket as the Cebu City Sharks stunned the Pampanga Lanterns via a 69-68 cliffhanger in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL)Datu Cup on Saturday night at the Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center in Angeles City, Pampanga.

The Sharks suffered a monumental endgame collapse after posting a 58-47 advantage at the final 9:18 mark of the contest, and suddenly saw themselves trailing by a hairline, 67-68, with only 21.7 seconds left to play.

In the ensuing sequence, Victor Nuñez missed a tough layup but Villafranca quickly stepped in to sink the putback with 2.4 seconds to go.

The Lanterns had a chance to steal the victory but his wide-open trey rattled out of the rim as the time expired.

Patrick Cabahug dropped 20 points, two rebounds and three assists, while William McAloney also had a solid game of 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Sharks, who are now tied with Laguna at seventh place in the Southern Division with a 9-11 record. (FREEMAN)