SJ Knights rule MPBL Datu Cup

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — San Juan fought behind enemy lines and pulled off a dramatic 87-86 win over Davao Occidental to bag the MPBL Datu Cup crown at the packed Rizal Memorial College Gym last Thursday.

It was a tight, exciting contest that could have gone either way until Jhonard Clarito, who hails from Davao del Sur, drove strong to the basket and scored the marginal basket for San Juan with only 8.9 seconds remaining.

Emal Calo had the chance to steal the win for the Tigers but missed his own layup. Clarito grabbed the rebound, and time ran out on the host team.

Hometown fans were stunned as the final buzzer sounded, triggering a wild celebration for the Knights and their very few supporters inside the court.

Davao Occidental seemed headed to victory when it took an 84-77 lead inside the last two minutes. The Knights bounced back behind Clarito.