 |
| Japeth Aguilar still got the bounce with seven slams, including one that sealed Solid North's win. Peter Baltazar |
MANILA--Japeth Aguilar sealed the deal for the Solid North All-Stars as they edged the Solid South All-Stars, 147-142, in the 2026 PBA All-Star Game on Sunday night at the Candon City Arena.
Aguilar iced the game for the PBA's main men of Luzon with a dagger dunk with 24.1 seconds that gave his team a five-point cushion.
A slam is worth three-points in the mid-season classic, which meant Aguilar gave the North All-Stars a two-possession lead.
Aware that Robert Bolick, who forced a draw in the 2024 edition in Bacolod with a five-point play, could pull off such a clutch act again, the North All-Stars did not even let him touch the ball as Alec Stockton and RJ Abarrientos were forced to take three-pointers that missed the target as time expired.
CJ Perez led the North with 32 points, five rebounds, and five assists, but Aguilar went home with the All-Star Game MVP award after going 10-for-14 from the field for 29 points with six rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
The Pampagueno star of Ginebra became the third player to win three All-Star Game MVP honors, joining Vergel Meneses, who owns the PBA record with four, and Terrence Romeo.
The 39-year-old big man converted all seven of his dunks, starting the game with three consecutive jams, en route to becoming the oldest winner of the PBA All-Star Game MVP.
Juan Gomez De Liano came close to a triple-double in his All-Star Game debut with 23 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists with one steal, while Adrian Nocum added 22 points, one rebound, and one steal.
It was a double win for Nocum as he, Justine Bacnis, Jamie Lim, Cabugao councilor Michael Sarmento, and Candon native Rexor Burgos won the Shooting Stars Challenge.
Bacnis, Tiebreaker Times' PBA beat reporter, made history as he became the first player to win multiple Shooting Stars events, doing so in back-to-back fashion as he was also part of the winning team in 2024.
The Solid North All-Stars won PHP250,000, PHP150,000 from the PBA Commissioner's Office and another PHP100,000 from Candon mayor Eric Singson.
Stockton, who also showed his hops early into the game, led the South with 29 points, four rebounds, six assists, five steals, and one block.
Abarrientos added 26 points, three rebounds, nine assists, and two steals, while Calvin Oftana chipped in 23 points, five rebounds, and two assists.
Despite settling for the PHP150,000 runner-up prize, the Solid South All-Stars showed heart despite only having nine players in their roster after Scottie Thompson, Jericho Cruz, and RR Pogoy begged off for various reasons.
Commissioner Willie Marcial later announced that the pre-game dance-off was adjudged as a draw, which means both teams will get an equal share of the PHP225,000 total pot.
