Dennison the hero as Cebu draws first blood vs Batangas

CEBU, Philippines — Ron Dennison sank a booming three-pointer in the final 12.4 seconds as the Cebu Greats downed the Batangas City Tanduay Athletics by the slenderest of threads, 78-77, in the opener of their best-of-three South Division quarterfinal series in the SportPlus Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) 2026 Season Wednesday, October 7, at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City.

With Batangas ahead by two points in the warning moments, Dennison knocked in the crucial shot from beyond the arc off a nifty assist by Jun Manzo to lift Cebu to a thrilling victory.

Batangas actually had a chance to steal the win but Jeckster Apinan missed his layup with 3.8 ticks left in the game clock.

Dennison finished with 11 points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Manzo top-scored for Cebu with 21 points, one rebound, two assists and three steals, while Simon Camacho added 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals in an impressive all-around show.

Dhon Reverente was the other double-digit scorer for the Greats with 11 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Game 2 is set for October 14 at the Batangas City Coliseum, with Cebu looking to clinch a spot in the semifinals before an expected hostile crowd.