Iloilo shocks Bacoor City on Catapusan buzzer-beater

The eighth-seeded Iloilo United Royals staged a dramatic comeback to defeat the top-seeded Bacoor City Strikers 89-86 in Game 1 of their MPBL South Division first-round playoff series at the Bacoor City Strike Gymnasium on Saturday night. CJ Catapusan hit a game-winning buzzer-beating three-pointer to secure the upset victory for Iloilo.

Catapusan's clutch shot silenced the home crowd and completed Iloilo's remarkable recovery from a 23-point deficit in this best-of-three series opener. Bacoor dominated early, scoring 31 points in the first quarter and building a 20-point halftime lead that extended to 23 points early in the third period after a Jhan Nermal three-pointer.

Iloilo mounted a massive 32-6 run to close the third quarter, taking a 69-66 lead into the final period. The fourth quarter remained tight, with Bacoor briefly regaining an 85-84 advantage with 2:06 remaining. Shaq Imperial put Iloilo back ahead 86-85 with a pull-up jumper at the 1:15 mark. Chito Jaime split free throws to tie the game 86-86 with seven seconds left. Catapusan then caught the defense off-guard, taking two dribbles before hitting the game-winning pull-up jumper off the glass as time expired.

Renzo Navarro led Iloilo with 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 14 assists. Josh Flores contributed a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Omar Larupay added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Catapusan finished with 9 points. For Bacoor, Jhan Nermal and James Kwekuteye each scored 23 points. Bacoor will try to avoid elimination in Game 2 on Saturday at the Vitaliano Agan Coliseum in Zamboanga City.

In another playoff game, Zamboanga defeated Quezon 77-68 to take a 1-0 series lead.