Batang Kankaloo stay unbeaten, Huskers roll on as Abra extends streak

Caloocan and Quezon Province continued their impressive runs, while defending champion Abra sustained its momentum in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL)2026 Season on Saturday at the One Arena in Cainta, Rizal.

The Caloocan Batang Kankaloo dominated Ilagan Isabela, 100-91, from start to finish to secure their ninth straight victory and seize sole possession of the top spot in the round-robin elimination phase of the 28-team tournament.

Quezon Province also remained unbeaten after defeating the Valenzuela City Darkhorse, 95-84, in the second game to improve to 6-0 in the playoff race.

Meanwhile, Abra Solid North continued its resurgence by defeating Zamboanga SiKat, 71-60, in the nightcap for its fourth consecutive win and a 6-1 record.

Jeff Manday once again spearheaded Caloocan’s attack as the Batang Kankaloo exploded to a 31-9 opening lead before fending off several comeback attempts from the Cowboys to move ahead of the still-unbeaten Gensan Warriors (8-0).

Manday knocked down five triples and scored 21 of his 23 points in the first half, while Kymani Ladi and Eric Camson took over in the latter stages to help secure the victory and hand Ilagan Isabela its third straight defeat for a 5-4 slate.

Manday also tallied four assists to earn Best Player of the Game honors over Ladi, who contributed 15 points, four assists, two rebounds, and two steals, highlighted by emphatic one-handed and two-handed dunks.

Jammer Jamito chipped in 15 points and seven rebounds, while Camson added 11 points and three rebounds for Caloocan.

The Batang Kankaloo shot efficiently from long range, converting 11 of 23 attempts from beyond the arc for a 47.8-percent clip, led by Manday’s 5-of-8 shooting from deep.

Jerie Pingoy sparked Ilagan Isabela’s second-half rally, scoring 17 of his 19 points on five triples, while Arth Dela Cruz and Alex Cabagnot helped trim the deficit to single digits late in the contest.

Cabagnot finished with 16 points, four assists, three rebounds, and two steals, while Donald Gumaru contributed 11 points and two assists.

In the second game, reigning back-to-back South Division champion Quezon leaned on the trio of Cyrus Tabi, Judel Fuentes, and Michael Cañete to hold off Valenzuela, which absorbed its second straight defeat and slipped to 4-5.

Tabi led the Huskers with 22 points, six assists, and five rebounds, highlighted by three triples. Fuentes added 14 points built on four three-pointers along with six assists and three rebounds, while Cañete posted 13 points, 10 rebounds, and two assists.

Quezon shot an impressive 50 percent from three-point range after draining 13 of its 26 attempts.

Despite the loss, Valenzuela received balanced scoring from Shaquille Alanes with 17 points, Angelo Obuyes with 16, Geremy Robinson with 13, Jay Collado with 12, and JR Olegado with 11.

In the nightcap, Abra overcame an early 33-24 deficit before turning things around in the third quarter behind Mike Ayonayon, Jake Figueroa, DJ Ferrer, and John Uduba to pull away, 63-53.

Figueroa paced the Weavers with 18 points and three rebounds, Ferrer added 13 points, six assists, four rebounds, and two blocks, while Ayonayon contributed 13 points, five assists, and three rebounds.

Zamboanga, which dropped to 1-7, got 14 points each from John Arthur Calisay and Reggz Gabat.

The MPBL resumes Monday at the Novadeci Sports Complex in Novaliches, Quezon City, featuring Manila against Cebu at 4 p.m., Gensan versus Pasay at 6 p.m., and Quezon Province facing Bulacan at 8 p.m.