Pampanga, San Juan on a roll
PAMPANGA and San Juan trounced separate rivals to keep their 1-2 spots in the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) Sixth Season at the FilOil Ecooil Centre in San Juan.
The Pampanga Giant Lanterns subdued the South Cotabato Warriors, 83-75, to notch their 21st win after an initial loss while the San Juan Knights routed the Quezon Huskers, 89-59, to rise to 19-1 in the round-robin elimination phase of the 29-team tournament.
Reigning league MVP Justine Baltazar posted 21 points and 18 rebounds to earn his seventh Daily Fantasy best player honors for Pampanga, which pulled away at 82-69 to pull South Cotabato down to 14-8.
Other Giant Lanterns who shone were Archie Concepcion with 14 points, Rence Alcoriza with 13 points plus 4 steals and Jhaymo Eguilos with 11 points plus 9 rebounds.
South Cotabato drew 15 points and 10 rebounds from Kyle Tolentino, 13 points and 7 rebounds from Larry Rodriguez and 9 points plus 10 assists from Mark Cruz.
San Juan broke away by halftime, weathered Quezon’s third-quarter flurry, then went full throttle in the fourth to pull down the Huskers to 17-3.
Powered by Dexter Maiquez, AC Soberano and Orlan Wamar, the Knights led, 49-30, at the break. The Huskers, however, greeted the third quarter with an 18-point cluster sparked by LJ Gonzales and capped by Xyrus Torres’ back-to-back triples to threaten at 48-49.
The Knights kept their composure and countered through Agem Miranda, Wamar and Reynel Hugnatan to pull away anew, 64-51, after three quarters.
The Huskers could come no closer than 56-68 before the Knights, through Maiquez and Soberano, bunched the game’s last 11 points to complete the rout.
Maiquez finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds, Soberano with 15 points, Miranda with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, and Wamar with 11 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists.
