Lanterns, Huskers lock horns in Dubai

DUBAI — The Pampanga Giant Lanterns and the Quezon Huskers are making history here when they clash in Game 1 of the MPBL National Finals at the Al Nasr Club tonight.

The MPBL will become the first local cage league to stage championship games on foreign soil. Game 1 is set at 7 p.m. (11 p.m. Manila time).

While North Division champion and reigning national titlist Pampanga is favored in the best-of-five series, Quezon Province, the South Division ruler, is determined to prove its doubters wrong.

The Huskers arrived here on Friday, two days after the Giant Lanterns flew in on Wednesday with hundreds of supporters and local government officials to prepare early for their bid to become the league’s first back-to-back champions.

After resting on Thursday, the Giant Lanterns, coached by Pampanga Gov. Dennis Pineda, trained lightly on Friday and plunged into a three-hour training session on Saturday.

Game 2 is set on Tuesday at the same venue before the series returns to the country for Game 3 on Dec. 7 at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando, Pampanga.

If necessary, Game 4 will be played at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City on Dec. 10. If the series goes the full route, Game 4 will return to San Fernando on Dec. 13.