Castro, a fixture in the MVP race the last two conferences, fired 33 points in spearheading the Teeth Sparklers to a 98-90 win over Cebuana Lhuillier Moneymen Thursday.
The victory sent Hapee into a playoff with Mail & More for one of the two automatic seats in the best-of-three semifinals set tomorrow at the Parañaque Sports Center.
Custodio, out to redeem himself after a controversial stint at University of the East, shot 34 points in powering the Spinners to a thrilling 133-128 triple overtime triumph over the Kettle Korn Poppers Saturday.
Custodio’s solid performance bettered the previous season-high of 33 points dished out by Castro while establishing a new career-high himself after scoring 19 in another win over Henkel-Sista Tuesday.
More importantly, the Spinners remained in the hunt for a slot in the quarterfinal round as they take on the Super Sealers next in another knockout duel on Thursday at the Emilio Aguinaldo College Gym.
"He’s a great player, he’ll be a force to reckon with in the near future," said Magnolia coach Koy Banal of the flashy Custodio.
Custodio, slowly gaining his rightful spot in a San Beda-dominated squad, poured 14 points in the fourth quarter of regulation to help the Spinners force the first OT. He had five points in the third overtime.
Castro, a Philippine Christian University standout, averages a league second best 15.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.9 steals and a block a game.
Meanwhile, the knockout match between Magnolia and Kettle Korn-UST posted the highest combined score of 261, eclipsing the previous mark of 240 set on March 5, 1995 when Stag beat Red Bull, 130-110.
"Grabe, very thrilling talaga ang laro," said veteran coach Junel Baculi who watched the game on TV. "As far as I am concerned, ito na yata ang isa sa pinakamahabang game na napanood ko."
Baculi, proud owner of five championships — three for Welcoat Paints and two for Hapee Toothpaste — said the offensive effort displayed by both teams was unbelievable.
Magnolia’s 133 is now the league’s highest winning score while Kettle Korn’s 128 is also by far the highest losing score.
Credit the high-scoring match to their impressive shot selection that saw the Spinners make 46 of 88 tries for a 52.27 percent shooting clip from the field. The Pop Kings also did well by converting 50 of 107 attempts for 46.73 percent.