THE Cebu Greats pulled off a shocking win after beating the Batangas City Tanduay Athletics, 84-83, on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in the SportsPlus Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) at the Pasay Astrodome.
The game ended in a very dramatic way.
With only 3.7 seconds left, Batangas was ahead, 83-82. Ced Ablaza made one of his two free throws to give his team the slim lead.
Cebu quickly grabbed the rebound, and Simon Camacho passed the ball to Paul Desiderio. With time running out, Desiderio threw a long shot from near half-court.
The ball did not go straight into the basket — but something unexpected happened.
Batangas player Rhinwill Yambing jumped near the rim and touched the ball. The referees ruled it as goaltending, which means a player illegally touched the ball while it still had a chance to go in.
Because of this call, Cebu was awarded three points, giving them the win at the buzzer.
Cebu’s players and fans celebrated right away after officials confirmed the decision. The victory improved the Greats’ record to 2-1, tying Batangas in the standings.
Desiderio led Cebu with 21 points and three rebounds and was named Best Player of the Game.
Jun Manzo also played well, finishing with 18 points, four assists, three steals, and two rebounds.
Mark Meneses added a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
For Batangas, Jhan Nermal scored 18 points, while Ino Comboy added 15 points and six assists.
Yambing, who was involved in the final play, ended with 12 points and four rebounds. / JBM