MANILA, Philippines – Manila continued its climb while Abra recovered its foothold in the 6th MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) Season on Monday at the San Andres Sports Complex in Manila.
The Manila SV Batang Sampaloc Stars thwarted the South Cotabato Warriors, 85-80, while the Abra Weavers subdued the Batangas City Tanduay Rum Masters, 84-70, in the round-robin elimination phase of the 29-team tournament.
Powered by the tandem of 7-footer Greg Slaughter and the 5-foot-8 Enzo Navarro, Manila led by as far as 63-42 but needed to ward off South Cotabato's final assault to tally its seventh straight win and rise to 12-4.
With Marwin Dionisio, Nico Elorde and Enzo Joson joining forces, the Warriors unloaded 20 points against only four by the Stars to threaten at 77-75 with still 1:47 left.
Navarro, however, drove in and Slaughter scored the Stars' final six points to pull down the Warriors to 11-5.
Slaughter wound up with 26 points and 11 rebounds to earn Best Player honors over Navarro, who posted 15 points, 10 assists, four rebounds and two steals.
Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Tonino Gonzaga supported them with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
South Cotabato got 16 points, four rebounds and three assists from Elorde; 12 points, all from triples, from Val Acuna; and 11 points, eight assists, five rebounds and 3 three from Joson.
Abra, with six Weavers thriving on offense, pulled away at 75-57 en route to a 9-6 slate.
Wendelino Comboy and Mark Yee notched 14 points each; new acquisition Jun Manzo 11 points; and John Lloyd Clemente, Sherwin Concepcion and Michael Canete 10 each as the Weavers shrugged off the 75-92 drubbing they absorbed from the Davao Occidental Tigers on June 24.
Batangas skidded to 11-4 as only Cedric Ablaza with 18 points and nine rebounds, and Mark Niel Cruz with 12 points and eight rebounds struck back.
The Iloilo United Royals rode on the hot hands of CJ Cansino to rout the Bulacan Kuyas, 92-67, in the opener.
Cansino poured 21 of his game-high 30 points, spiked by seven triples, in the first half, pushing the Royals ahead, 45-35, en route to a 6-9 card.
The 6-foot-2 former University of the Philippines star added nine rebounds to clinch Best Player honors over Gwyne Capacio with 17 points, nine rebounds plus four assists and RV Berjay with eight points and 11 rebounds that helped Iloilo rule the boards, 50-38.
Bulacan tumbled to 2-14 despite the Kuyas getting 13 points from Jason Celis; 12 from Eric James Jabel, 11 each from Khen Osicos and Ralph Manzo; and 10 from Andrei Simon Dada.
The MPBL goes to the Caloocan Sports Complex on Tuesday with a triple bill pitting Rizal against Mindoro at 4 p.m., Negros against Imus at 6 p.m., and Davao against Caloocan at 8 p.m.