MPBL: Zamboanga stuns Quezon, forces Game 3 do-or-die

MANILA, Philippines — Levi Hernandez drilled a dagger three with 26.3 seconds left as Zamboanga SiKat bested Quezon Province, 67-64, on Wednesday and forced a Game 3 decider in their South Division quarterfinal playoffs of SportsPlus MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League)  2026 Season at the Batangas City Coliseum. Familiar with the venue's ring, being a former star of the Batangas City Tanduay Athletics, Hernandez did not hesitate to let the ball fly from the corner to stun the Huskers, who seized control at 64-62 after scoring 10 points against another triple by Hernandez. Quezon's  Diego Dario intruded the lane but missed the layup with 5.5 seconds left and Zamboanga's John Mahari snared the rebound. In the ensuing play, Brandon Wilson got fouled and made both charities for the final count with 3.3 ticks left. "From start to finish, walang sumuko (sa amin)," said Hernandez, adding that their coaches told them to forget about their lopsided 55-88 loss to the Huskers in the series opener on Oct. 7 at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City, where Game 3 will also be held on Saturday. Zamboanga homegrown Forthsky Padrigao posted 15 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds and was chosen the SportsPlus best player over Paeng Are, who had 14...