Cowboys dump Patriots
THE Ilagan Isabela Cowboys banked on Top Gun Arth Dela Cruz and sniper Allen Mina to rout the Parañaque Patriots, 77-62, on Saturday and gain traction in Manny Pacquiao presents 1xBet-MPBL 2025 Season at the Olivarez College Gymnasium in Parañaque.
Dela Cruz posted 15 points, a night-high 16 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal to earn best player honors as the Cowboys climbed to a 4-4 card in the round-robin elimination phase of the 30-team tournament.
Mina, a former Letran Knight, drilled in half his 18 field goal attempts en route to 20 points, including two triples, and added 4 rebounds.
Gab Gomez also delivered for Cowboys Coach Louie Gonzalez with 8 points, 4 assists and 2 rebounds, and so did JR Olegario with 6 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.
The Patriots suffered their third straight defeat despite Jayboy Solis’ 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks, Paolo Castro’s 13 points and Carl Bryan Cruz’s 11 points plus 6 rebounds.
With Dela Cruz and bruisers Allan Santos and Mark Dyke pounding the boards, the Cowboys snared more rebounds, 51-41, and converted this to more points in the paint, 34-22, and second chance points, 17-6.
Wendelino Comboy drove in for the buzzer-beater that lifted Mindoro past Zamboanga SiKat, 81-79, in the opener.
The 6-foot former Far Eastern University star and Ethan Galang teamed up in Mindoro’s closing 8-2 salvo that wiped out a 77-73 deficit and gave the Tamaraws their second straight win for a 3-5 card.
Back-to-back triples by Comboy and Galang pushed Mindoro back on top, 79-77, but Abdul Sawat converted two charities to force the game’s fourth and last deadlock with 13.6 seconds left.
The Tamaraws nearly fumbled on the inbound before Comboy saved the ball, shook off Itchie Altamirano, and defied the outstretched arms of two defenders for the decider that pulled down the Zamboanguenos to 5-2.
Jonas Tibayan posted 16 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists and was chosen as the best player for Mindoro Coach Rodney Santos.
Comboy finished with 19 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists; Bambam Gamalinda 13 points plus 3 rebounds; Joseph Sedurifa 11 points plus 8 rebounds and 3 assists; and Galang 8 points, plus 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
Zamboanga drew 24 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists from Sawat, 13 points and 4 rebounds from JP Cauilan, and 10 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals for Roi Sumang.
