Dairick Duterte, CALABARZON stun Davao to bring home Palarong Pambansa HS hoops title

AGUSAN DEL SUR — Region IV-A CALABARZON silenced Davao by pulling off a dramatic 79-62 win in the 2026 Palarong Pambansa secondary boys basketball finals on Saturday at the Datu Lipus Makapandong Governor D.O. Sports Complex here.

CALABARZON started out flat, pulled away in the third period behind crowd favorite Dairick Duterte, before turning back a late rally from the Eagles to dethrone Davao and take home the gold.

The Eagles flexed their might early on with Macky Peligrino hitting back-to-back layups to spark a blazing 14-1 start in the opening period. However, the Antipolo-based St. John's Wort, which represents CALABARZON, turned to the 18-year-old Duterte to pull within one point, 24-25, in the second quarter.

CALABARZON then carried a 38-33 lead into the halftime break.

Duterte, tasked with defending Davao's Rene Baterbonia, proved he could also be an offensive threat by completing a layup and a turnaround floater, allowing CALABARZON to seize a crucial 57-42 lead.

Duterte then sank a pair of free throws as CALABARZON enjoyed a 59-48 cushion heading to the fourth.

However, Davao showed off its championship poise with Peligrino hitting a huge three-pointer that sparked an 8-0 blast to open the payoff period. The Heroes, though, lived up to their names, finding the necessary stops and baskets to stun the reigning champions.

Rainheart Panaligan and Ali Mamauag powered that pullaway.

Panaligan unleashed a booming triple off the timeout and made a silencing gesture to the crowd mostly cheering for Davao, 62-56, before his two consecutive baskets gave Region IV-A a 66-56 lead.

Mamauag then put the punctuation, drilling a three-pointer from the top of the key and draining two more baskets to send his team to a comfortable 75-62 lead in the final 1:42.

The victory gave Region IV-A its first title since 2016, when San Beda University represented the region and ruled the tournament behind Evan Nelle.

That year saw the Red Cubs pull off a 92-72 win over Central Luzon in the finals. Since then, NCR won three straight titles from 2017 to 2019. Central Visayas then ruled in 2023 before NCR regained the title in 2024.

In 2025, Davao secured its maiden title by beating Western Visayas.

—JKC, GMA News