CEBU CITY — The M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala Cebu Niños regained their national championship in grand fashion by sweeping past deposed champion Misamis Oriental, 89-54, to rule the 2009 Smart Liga Pilipinas Conference III crown Sunday at the Cebu City Coliseum here.

Ex-pro Stephen Padilla made just 3-of-11 treys but those were enough to ignite several spurts that enabled the Niños to build enough cushion in the first half en route to winning their second championship by a sweep.

The Niños were so dominant they became the first team in the two-year history of the league to finish a conference with a perfect record. They won all their 21 games, including their one-game face-off with the Meteors for the title.

Padilla, who previously played for the MBA's Cebu Gems and the PBA's Alaska Milk, finished with 12 points, all in the first half, to be adjudged as the Super Leg's Most Valuable Player for his splendid play during the week-long tournament.

"Winning 21 straight games is just a number. It would be disappointing if we won 20 games then lose the championship," said coach Yayoy Alcoseba, who was named as the conference's Best Coach after steering Cebu to 16 straight wins in four leg tournaments.

Lefty guard Mark Ababon led the way for the Niños with 14 points while Frank Nailon hit nine of his 13 points in the payoff period as the lead ballooned to 30 points.

The hosts forced the Meteors to commit 20 of their 23 turnovers during a tension-filled first half leading to 19 points while Padilla fired his third trey with 58 seconds remaining in the second period for a commanding 44-20 advantage.

Guard Mark Moreno was the lone double-digit scorer for MisOr with 15 points but saw a lack of production from team's top scorer Patrick Cabahug who had just four points.

Meanwhile, RB Mangahas buried a three-pointer with less than three seconds remaining as the Trace Laguna Stallions escaped with a 92-91 win over the Quezon Red Oilers to bag third place.

The scores:
First Game
LAGUNA 92 — Losentes 23, Sanz 14, Capati 14, Estrada 13, Mangahas 11, Anquilo 8, Villaver 6, Grijaldo 2, Musni 1, Tolentino 0, Medina 0, Angeles 0, Pradas 0, Legaspi 0.
QUEZON 91 — Panzo 19, Pinera 17, Palaganas 12, Mondragon 12, Raymundo 10, Dedicatoria 8, Orias 6, Labagala 6, Cacha 1, Suguitan 0.
Quarters: 27-26; 47-48; 70-71; 92-91.

Second Game
CEBU 89 — Ababon 14, Nailon 13, Padilla 12, Enriquez 10, Saladaga 7, Basco 7, Santos 6, Dacia 6, Poligrates 5, Mepana 4, Magsumbol 3, Escobal 2, Malinao 0.
MISAMIS ORIENTAL 54 — Moreno 15, Daja 8, Kong 6, Lamocha 6, Clavel 5, Cabahug 4, Saldua 3, Misa 2, Mamaclay 2, Guiyab 2, Butel 1, Mente 0, Tagupa 0.
Quarters: 23-11; 44-20; 61-39; 89-54.