Western Visayas upsets CALABARZON to reach Palaro basketball finals

ILOCOS NORTE - Luke Rose ignited in the second half to carry Western Visayas to an 80-73 come-from-behind upset win against CALABARZON in the semifinals of 2025 Palarong Pambansa secondary boys basketball on Thursday at the Ilocos Norte Centennial Arena. 

The 15-year-old guard powered Western Visayas' 18-9 closing run as they erased a deficit as big as 18 to enter the finals against Davao with the gold medal match set on Friday. 

CALABARZON, represented by San Beda University-Rizal, stretched its 50-42 halftime lead to a 58-48 cushion behind Red Cubs star Andrei Ugaddan. 

But Western Visayas, still on a high after dethroning National Capital Region in the quarterfinals, slowly crawled their way back behind the hot hands of Rose. 

Down 64-62, Western Visayas took advantage of Ugaddan's absence after the NCAA standout rode the bench following cramps with 4:06 to go in the third. Rose unleashed a personal 5-0 run capped by a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give Western Visayas its first lead of the game at 67-64 before heading to the payoff period. 

Macadangdang sank a pair of jumpers to make it a 75-65 advantage for WVRAA, before Ugaddan returned and fueled a desperate comeback attempt with six straight points as CALABARZON pulled within seven, 78-71, in the final 3:59.

CALABARZON, however, could not complete the magic trick as Western Visayas took down another powerhouse en route to the finals stage. 

In the first game, Davao escaped Central Luzon with a nail-biting 66-65 victory. 

—JKC, GMA Integrated News