0
0
The San Juan Knights trounced the Abra Weavers, 95-82, to grab the solo lead on Thursday in the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) Sixth Season at the FilOil Flying V Center in San Juan.
Powered by Zach Huang and Arvin Gamboa, the Knights pulled away, 85-60, before cruising to their fifth straight win in as many starts in the round-robin elimination phase of the 29-team tournament. Huang fired 17 points, while Gamboa, a former star of the Mapua Cardinals, posted 16 points plus three rebounds to earn best player honors.
The Knights, the MPBL Datu Cup champion now being coached by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, also got the push from Orlan Wamar, who tallied 12 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. In comparison, AC Soberano scored 12 points, and Michael Calisaan scored 10.
The Weavers showed up with Top Gun Mark Tallo but still couldn’t match the Knights’ firepower, falling to the lower half of the standings at 3-4. Tallo scored 18 points, like Felipe Chavez, while NCAA Season 99 MVP Clint Escamis scored 10 for Abra.
Other games saw Iloilo edge Bacolod, 75-73, and Quezon City subdue Mindoro, 78-71.
The Iloilo United Royals banked on CJ Cansino and Mark Nonoy to erase a 56-61 deficit and tally their second win against five losses.
Cansino scored 18 points, including 9 in the last five minutes, while Nonoy added 13 points, including 6 in the home stretch, as Iloilo handed Bacolod its seventh straight defeat.
CJ Catapusan also scored 10 points and four rebounds for Iloilo, and Ry Aijer De La Rosa had 10.
Bacolod’s John Edcel Rojas scored 16 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, and Ralph Jeffrey Deles scored 14 points, four rebounds, and two assists.
Quezon City TODA Aksyon leaned on high-flyer Rhinwill Yambing’s 20 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 assists, to break a three-game skid and level its slate at 3-3. With Paeng Are and Jonathan Gesalem backing, Yambing Quezon City led by as many as 53-39 before dealing the Mindoro Tamaraws their fifth loss in seven starts.
Are tallied 16 points, five rebounds, and three steals, while Gesalem contributed 11 points and five assists. Chino Mosqueda and Jonas Tibayan added 8 points each for Quezon City Coach Egay Macaraya.
Mindoro got 20 points, four rebounds, and two assists from Tey Teodoro, 16 points, six rebounds, three assists from Karl Bono, and 10 points plus three assists from Andres Desiderio.
The MPBL visits the Caloocan Sports Complex on Friday, May 10, with another triple bill. The games pit Quezon Province against Bacolod at 4 p.m., Marikina against Zamboanga at 6 p.m., and Pangasinan against Caloocan at 8 p.m.
Caption: Arvin Gamboa shines for San Juan.
Average Rating