Athletics finish strong, Golden Coolers roll in MPBL

8 hours ago

Batangas City pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat Zamboanga SiKat, 72-62, in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) 2026 Season on Tuesday at the Ynares Center Montalban in Rizal Province.

Clinging to a slim 54-53 lead early in the final period, the Athletics closed the game with an 18-5 run behind the hot shooting of Jhan Nermal to improve to 15-3 in the South Division. Batangas remained firmly in the playoff race alongside Biñan (16-4) and Quezon Province (14-2).

Nermal scored seven points during the decisive run and finished with a game-high 21 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists to earn Best Player of the Game honors.

Rhinwill Yambing and Abdul Sawat added nine points apiece, with Sawat also collecting six rebounds, three assists, and two steals. John Ambulodto chipped in seven points and 10 rebounds.

Zamboanga slipped to 7-12 despite 14 points from John Arthur Calisay. Joseph Gabayni contributed 11 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and two steals.

In the second game, the Rizal XentroMall Golden Coolers overcame a slow start before routing the Sarangani 10ACT Marlins, 93-65, to strengthen their grip on sixth place in the South Division with a 12-7 record.

After edging ahead 19-18 at the end of the first quarter, Rizal erupted for 40 points in the second period to build a commanding 59-39 halftime lead before extending the margin to as many as 33 points in the second half.

Alwyn Alday paced the Golden Coolers with 20 points, five rebounds, and two assists. Jolo Mendoza added 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists, Marco Balagtas scored 13 points, while Lervin Flores posted a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Sarangani dropped to 3-18 despite a strong performance from Alex Desoyo, who tallied 21 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

The tournament resumes Thursday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan, with Bulacan facing Pasig at 3 p.m., Bataan taking on Abra at 5 p.m., and Parañaque meeting Basilan at 7 p.m.