IN A sudden turn of events, the Cebu Greats clinched a seat in the play-in stage of the 2025 Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) after securing the 10th spot in the South Division at the end of the elimination round.
With a record of 11 wins and 18 losses, the Cebu Greats narrowly trail the Davao Tigers (11-17), who sit in ninth place in the South Division standings.
Cebu’s unexpected qualification for the knockout play-in round was made possible after both Muntinlupa and the Sarangani Marlins lost their final games. Sarangani and Muntinlupa both ended the elimination round with 10-19 win-loss records.
As a result, the Cebu Greats will face the Davao Tigers in a knockout rematch on Oct. 4 at the Mindoro Sports Complex.
Meanwhile, eighth-ranked host team Mindoro Tamaraws will go up against No. 7 Biñan Tatak Gel on the same day.
Cebu Greats team manager Jhon Santos confirmed this development.
“Yes, Muntinlupa lost their last two games, and Sarangani lost on Saturday; that’s why we got in,” said Santos.
“Actually, we were waiting for five days. We just kept practicing while hoping Sarangani would lose,” he added. “To be honest, we might have been the only ones who still believed the team had a slim chance.”
With this development, the Cebu Greats have been given a new life and are now set to fight hard and enter the playoffs.
If Cebu beats Davao, they will advance to face the loser between Mindoro and Biñan for the final spot in the playoff round.
In their previous meeting on Sept. 15, Cebu lost to Davao, 64-59.
Still, Santos remains hopeful they can turn the tables in the upcoming rematch.
“We’ll give it everything we’ve got. We were given a second chance, and we won’t waste it. We’re going all out in the coming games,” Santos declared.
Head coach Junthy Valenzuela is also optimistic about their chances this time.
He mentioned that the team is healthy heading into the game.
“We have what it takes against Davao. The players were just caught off guard last time. This is a great matchup, especially now that many of our players are healthy. JR Quiñahan, Paul Desiderio, and Hubalde can really contribute a lot to the team,” said Valenzuela in mixed Cebuano and English.
“What’s good this time is that since we’re up against Davao, our players won’t be complacent because we lost to them before. I think we’ll be more aggressive now,” added the former PBA star. / JBM