Ernesto Nodado III

Second quarter brawl proved crucial for NU Nazareth School-laden NCR to springboard to a lopsided 86-71 win over Central Luzon to reclaim their crown in the Palarong Pambansa Secondary Boys' Basketball at the University of San Carlos Gym on Monday, July 15.

Photo Courtesy of Facebook/Palarong Pambansa 2024 - Cebu City.

The Bullpups struggled to scratch their championship ways from the onset, until they took the golden opportunity when Central Luzon’s key starters got ejected in the second quarter which proved as their turning point to snatch the winning momentum.

Redemption tour for NCR capped off with a golden finish thanks to Timothy Mathias’s 16 markers that led the way for the squad’s impressive offense in the game-turning second half blitzkrieg.

The 2019 Palarong Pambansa champions NCR were dethroned in last year’s edition after succumbing to Jared Bahay-led Western Visayas.

But this time, they reminded who the true kings of Palarong Pambansa are.

The Metrostars started out flat, failing to find their scoring tempo from mid range, yet kept at striking distance from Central Luzon’s 27-20 lead in the second quarter.

Rising tensions due to a grueling nip-and-tuck affair in the second canto between both squads led to a shoving brawl and ejection of NCR’s Alnhumaeri Usop and Central Luzon starters John Stephen Estanislao, Jackson Jackson, and Guilz Guevarra.

With their foes’ crucial rotation shattered, the Bullpups smelled for the golden opportunity as they flipped the script before going to halftime with a 40-36 turnaround.

Since then, the Bullpups’ pesky full-court press and offensive penetration in the second half proved to be overwhelming for their foes, scoring at their will while locking Central Luzon on defense en route to their championship comeback.

Meanwhile, St. Augustine Institute-Pampanga’s Kenji Moral led their squad’s morale on a 19-point showing despite falling prey to NCR after losing key rotations.