SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — The first champion of the Pilipinas Super League (PSL) 21U Luzon Division has been crowned.

The Pampanga Delta once again proved that they are arguably the top basketball program up north after sweeping the Pasig-Cocolife Pirates in the Luzon Leg Finals last week at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center here.

Having homecourt advantage for the entire best-of-three series, Pampanga made good use of it in the two games against Pasig, all the more with most of the fans rooting for the club owned by no less than Pampanga governor Dennis “Delta” Pineda.

Defense won it for the Delta as they pulled off the needed stops to preserve their two wins en route to the championship.

In the series opener, Justin Bautista saved Pampanga as he stole the ball off a supposed Kent Pelipel pass to seal a 92-91 win.

Bautista never gave up on the play despite Sonny Estil deflecting the ball from him off a CJ Delfino inbound pass.

The Delta then tore the Pirates in the final quarter of the series clincher, holding them to just nine points to seal the 86-76 win.

Kevin Santos exploded in Game 2, putting up 22 points, 16 rebounds, and seven blocks.

For ruling the Luzon Leg, Pampanga received P100,000 in cash.

Pasig, however, will still be leaving the Luzon Leg with a silverware as Jonnel Policarpio won the Most Valuable Player award for the tournament.

The former Malayan High School of Science Red Robin, who has already committed for the De La Salle Green Archers, averaged 16.5 points, 12.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks during the Luzon Leg up to the semifinals.

The Delta and the Pirates, by virtue of being the finalists for the Luzon Leg, are now qualified for the PSL 21U National Finals slated later this year.

They will join the Consolacion Sarok Weavers and the Sherilin-Unisol Mandaue Plastic Men, the finalists of the Visayas Division, and the Davao Occidental Dreamers and the Irene B. Antonio College of Mindanao-Bukidnon Cowboys, the finalists of the Mindanao Division.

Davao Occidental and Bukidnon are starting their own best-of-three series for Mindanao supremacy, and Consolacion and Mandaue have also begun their best-of-three Visayas Finals affair at the Cordova Sports Complex in Cebu.