Harbour Centre delivers it best

It took a sweet-shooting rookie for Harbour Centre to nail its second straight PBL crown yesterday.

Jonathan Fernandez, a 6-foot-1 mainstay from National University, played the biggest game of his life, giving Harbour Centre an 86-73 win over Hapee Toothpaste-PCU and the PBL Silver Cup at The Arena in San Juan.

Fernandez took charge for his teammates by firing a career-high 23 points. He had five three-pointers, two of them coming at the height of the Port Masters’ decisive breakaway midway through the final period.

Fernandez made everything look easy for the Port Masters in the title-clinching victory. Harbour Centre swept the best-of-five series and nailed its second straight title since capturing the Unity Cup in the middle of last year.

As the final seconds ticked away, the Port Masters started to celebrate on the court and on the bench with team owner Mikee Romero, already in his championship shirt, and head coach George Gallent embracing almost everyone near them.

In a gesture of true sportsmanship, the Hapee Toothpaste coaching staff led by Jun Noel went across the court in the dying seconds to congratulate the Port Masters, easily the most popular and most successful team in the PBL today.

During the centercourt celebration, Romero praised his entire team for its never-say-die attitude, then called Gallent his "lucky charm."

"When we fell down 2-1 against Toyota Otis in the semis, I thought we’d never get to the finals. But the boys never gave up. This championship is theirs, not anyone else’s. We will cherish this victory," said Romero.

It marked the first time that a team won back-to-back crowns in the PBL since Hapee-PCU accomplished the feat in the tournaments bridging the 2003 and 2004 seasons.