Cebu routs Parañaque for ninth victory in MPBL cage wars

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu Greats breathed fire from start to finish to obliterate the hapless Parañaque Patriots, 100-51, in what is by far their most lopsided victory in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Season 8 last Wednesday, June 10, at the Caloocan Sports Complex.

Jonathan Ralf Gesalem delivered a breakout performance with 24 points - all from beyond the arc - on top of two assists and a steal, while Simon Camacho added 16 points, eight rebounds, one assist, and one block as Cebu improved to 9-3 after winning seven of their last eight games.

Andrey Armenion also cracked double figures with 10 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals for the Greats, who kept the Patriots at bay since racing to a hot 26-16 start.

Cebu’s lead snowballed to 43-27 at halftime, and then to 70-39 after three quarters before it peaked at an eye-popping 51 points, 100-49, on a 3-pointer by Al Francis Tamsi with only 43 seconds left to play.

Marlon Monte finished with 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists, while Ryusei Koga and Joebert Medina tallied 12 and 10 markers, respectively, to no avail as the listless Patriots are further mired in the cellar with a pitiful 0-13 record.