Paranaque subdues Iloilo, San Juan dumps Marikina

Paranaque’s outside gunners clicked in the fourth quarter as the Patriots subdued the Iloilo United Royals, 72-66, on Thursday and shared the lead in the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) Sixth Season at the Caloocan Sports Complex.

Getting a triple each from JR Villanueva, JP Sarao, Keith Pido, and Jielo Razon, the Patriots surged ahead, 70-69, with only 2 minutes and 17 seconds left en route to their third win in as many starts in the elimination round of the country’s top regional league.

Villanueva finished with 19 points, including seven in the last ten minutes, followed by Pido with 17 as Paranaque matched the 3-0 slates of Zamboanga and Negros.

Razon contributed 10 points and seven boards, while veteran Mark Yee had 9 and 13 rebounds. Sarao had 9 points and four rebounds, while Philip Manalang ably orchestrated the Patriots’ plays with ten assists, six rebounds, and 3 points.
In the last two minutes, Iloilo staged its final rally behind CJ Cansino and Mark Nonoy but could only close the gap.

Cansino scored 21 points, eight rebounds, and two steals, while Nonoy posted 21 points, four steals, and two rebounds for Iloilo, which fell to 1-2.

Earlier, AC Soberano powered debuting San Juan to a 101-73 rout of Marikina.

The former NCAA three-point king started San Juan’s fourth-quarter blitz with a halfcourt heave and then drilled in four more triples in a 16-point run that pushed the Knights beyond the Shoemasters’ reach, 94-61, with only 5 minutes and 42 seconds to go.

Soberano scored 22 points, including seven triples, three assists, two rebounds, and one steal, to earn best player honors. Michael Malonzo supported the former San Beda hotshot with 11 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, Zach Huang with 10 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, and Dexter Maiquez with 10 points plus 3 rebounds.

Marikina, which dropped to 0-4, got 13 points, six rebounds, and three steals from Joe Gomez De Liano, 11 points, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals from Eloie Tan, and 10 points from Jethro Escoto.

The MPBL returns to the Cuneta Astrodome on Friday with another triple-bill. South Cotabato tackles Muntinlupa at 4 p.m., Batangas battles Imus at 6 p.m., and Davao clashes with Pasay at 8 p.m.

Caption: Keith Pido delivers for the Paranaque Patriots