Dhan Reverente soars for the Pasay Voyagers.
Escape act by Pasay
PASAY met stiff resistance from Imus before prevailing, 74-68, on Monday in the OKBet-MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) Fifth Season at the Cuneta Astrodome.
So unlike Batangas and San Juan which dumped their opponents in the single round-robin elimination phase of the 29-team tournament.
The Batangas City Embassy Chill Athletics pounded the Bicol Volcanoes without letup en route to a 114-66 rout, while the San Juan Knights broke away in the third quarter and proceeded to tally a 109-85 victory over the Manila Stars.
The Imus SV Squad seized control, 65-63, but the Pasay Voyagers, egged on by the hometown crowd, countered with an 11-point run, capped by four straight charities from Rommel Mangalino, to seal their 12th win in 17 starts, only 26 seconds to go.
Dhan Reverente presided over the Voyagers’ return to orbit with a 25-point, 11-rebound, 4-assist effort in the see-saw encounter that saw 11 lead changes and neither team ahead by twin digits.
AJ Coronel supported Reverente with 11 points, followed by Marlon Gomez with 9.
Imus, which tumbled to 7-9, got 14 points from Carlo Lastimosa, 13 from Mac Cardona and 10 from Jimboy Estrada.
Batangas drew firepower from Levi Hernandez with 26 points, including four triples, in climbing to a 12-4 record. He was followed by Juneric Baloria with 16 points, including three triples, Rudy Lingganay with 14 points, and Rhaffy Octobre with 12 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
Bicol got mired in the cellar with a 1-17 slate.
San Juan climbed to 13-3 through the efforts of Adrian Nocum, AC Soberano, Zachary Huang and Egie Boy Mojica.
Nocum, a star of the Mapua Cardinals, posted 21 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, AC Soberano added 18 points plus 3 rebounds, Zachary Huang notched 17 points, plus 3 rebounds, and Mojica contributed 10 points, 3 rebounds plus 2 assists.
Manila fell to 3-15.
The MPBL visits Oriental Mindoro for the first time with a triple bill at the Sentrong Pangkabataan Gymnasium, Brgy. Santa Isabel, Calapan City.
Pola town Mayor Jennifer Cruz, owner of the Oriental Mindoro Disiplinados, will host the games pitting Paranaque against Marikina at 4 p.m., GenSan against Caloocan at 6 p.m., and Pasig against Oriental Mindoro at 8 p.m.
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