MPBL: Pampanga, San Juan post wins to stay atop standings

MANILA, Philippines – Pampanga and San Juan trounced separate rivals on Monday to keep their 1-2 spots in the 6th MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) Season at the FilOil Ecooil Centre in San Juan.

The Pampanga Giant Lanterns subdued the South Cotabato Warriors, 83-75, to notch their 21st win after an initial loss; while the San Juan Knights routed the Quezon Huskers, 89-59, to rise to 19-1 in the round-robin elimination phase of the 29-team tournament.

Reigning league Most Valuable Player Justine Baltazar posted 21 points and 18 rebounds to earn his seventh Daily Fantasy Best Player honors for Pampanga, which pulled away at 82-69 to pull South Cotabato down to 14-8.

Other Giant Lanterns who shone were Archie Concepcion with 14 points, Rence Alcoriza with 13 points plus four steals, and Jhaymo Eguilos with 11 points plus nine rebounds.

South Cotabato drew 15 points and 10 rebounds from Kyle Tolentino; 13 points and seven rebounds from Larry Rodriguez; and nine points plus 10 assists from Mark Cruz.

San Juan broke away by halftime, weathered Quezon's third-quarter flurry, then went full throttle in the fourth to pull down the Huskers to 17-3.

Powered by Dexter Maiquez, AC Soberano and Orlan Wamar, the Knights led, 49-30, at the break. The Huskers, however, greeted the third quarter with an 18-point cluster sparked by LJ Gonzales and capped by Xyrus Torres' back-to-back triples to threaten at 48-49.

The Knights kept their composure and countered through Agem Miranda, Wamar and Reynel Hugnatan to pull away anew, 64-51, after three quarters.

The Huskers could come no closer than 56-68 before the Knights, through Maiquez and Soberano, bunched the game's last 11 points to complete the rout.

Maiquez finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds; Soberano with 15 points; Miranda with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists; and Wamar with 11 points, four rebounds and five assists.

Only Ximone Sandagon struck back for Quezon with 18 points and 11 boards.

Meanwhile, the Negros Muscovados routed the Bulacan Kuyas, 83-64, in the opener to improve to 11-12.

Renz Palma flirted with a triple-double (22 points, nine rebounds, 10 assists) and four other Muscovados contributed double figures as Negros led by as far as 79-54 halfway through the fourth quarter.

Buenaventura Raflores also delivered with 13 points, 11 rebounds plus three assists; and so did Alvin John Capobres with 12 points, three rebounds, five assists and two steals; Jose Piero Longa with 11 points; and Jan Formento with 10 points.

Bulacan, which tumbled to 2-21, got 11 points and eight rebounds from John Cayno Carandang, and 10 points from Kehn Osicos.

The MPBL returns to the Paco Arena on Tuesday with games pitting Bacolod against Rizal at 4 p.m., Caloocan against Binan at 6 p.m., and Abra against Quezon City at 8 p.m.