Ageless Aguilar rocks Candon

CANDON, Ilocos Sur — Even at 39, Japeth Aguilar still has the hops.

The athletic Barangay Ginebra forward highlighted his 10th Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) All-Star Game stint with rim rattlers to power the North All Stars to a 147-142 win over the South All Stars in the main event of the annual showcase Sunday night at the Candon City Arena here.

Aguilar finished with 29 points, including a perfect 7-of-7 slam dunk clip worth three-point, with six rebounds, two assists and a steal on his way to bagging his third All-Star Most Valuable Player award.

He opened his scoring with an alley-oop tomahawk jam before capping the night with an emphatic jam with 24.5 seconds left to ice the match, which got serious in the second half for the North’s sixth straight win over the South since the format began in 2010.

Aguilar became the oldest player to win Most Valuable Player (MVP) and tied Terrence Romeo in the list with three behind Vergel Meneses’ four.

“It’s just a coincidence (winning MVP). My mindset is just to enjoy and give back to the fans. That’s all,” he said.

“I do some stuff that I usually don’t do. For example, I get four points. That’s all for the fans,” added Aguilar, who unfortunately missed both of his four-pointers.

It was the first solo highest individual prize for Aguilar after sharing the MVP honors in 2019 with Arwind Santos, the second oldest to win the award at 37, and the 2024 recognition with Robert Bolick.

Aguilar cherished the opportunity to still play for the fans outside of the serious business of the PBA season.

“I’m thankful to God because of this event. You never know if I’m still going to get this chance next year,” he said.

“The first-timers still have a lot of chances. As for me, you never know. Earlier, I told them (my younger teammates), ‘You guys are going to be here for a while.’ That’s what I told the kids, the ones who call me Tito,” he added with a chuckle.

“I told them, ‘You’re going to be here for a while. Ten more years for you guys’.”

For Aguilar, the All-Star Game actually allowed him to test his fitness heading into the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup opening on Wednesday after doing extra work during the season break.

“Actually, during the break. I was just working out. My workout was all about plyometrics. Then this exhibition game came and I was able to show that I’m still fresh. I’m not tired yet,” the Kings veteran said.

“It really was a chance, I think, it’s a good opportunity to open the Commissioner’s Cup.”

Ginebra will begin its import-laden mid-season campaign on 20 March against the guest team Macau Black Bears at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The North All Stars banked on Converge big man Justin Arana’s back-to-back baskets in the last two minutes after trailing, 142-140.

The Leo Austria-mentored North All Stars forced the South to commit fatal errors in the succeeding plays before Aguilar’s dunk extended the lead to five.

CJ Perez scored 32 points while Juan Gomez de Liano and Adrian Nocum added 23 and 22 markers, respectively, for the North All Stars, which led by as many as 18 in the first half.

Alec Stockton had 29 points, RJ Abarrientos finished with 26 while Calvin Oftana added 23 for the Chot Reyes-coached South, which played with only nine players after RR Pogoy, Scottie Thompson and Jericho Cruz skipped the event due to injuries