Cometa posts triple-double as Basilan pulls away from Sarangani

The Basilan Steel turned a close contest into a convincing win in the second half, defeating Sarangani 10ACT, 93-86, on Tuesday in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) 2026 Season at the Orion Sports Complex in Bataan.

Basilan tightened its grip defensively after halftime, with Mark Montuano and Jan Jamon leading the offensive charge as the Steel built an 80-63 cushion en route to improving to 9-10 in the 27-team round-robin eliminations.

Gab Cometa orchestrated the victory with a triple-double of 10 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists, while adding two steals in just over 26 minutes of action.

"We stepped up in the point guard position," Cometa said when asked what fueled Basilan's strong second-half performance.

Montuano, a recent acquisition from Mindoro, poured in 18 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, while grabbing six rebounds and handing out two assists. Jamon contributed 16 points, while Ralph Robin added 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals.

The Steel's trapping defense changed the complexion of the game after the break. Basilan opened the third quarter with an 8-0 run, highlighted by four points apiece from Robin and Cometa, stretching a one-point halftime lead into a 48-41 advantage that it never surrendered.

Sarangani had controlled the early stages, racing to a 20-8 lead before Basilan rallied. Robin's three-pointer with 39 seconds left in the second quarter trimmed the deficit to just one, 41-40, heading into halftime.

The defeat dropped Sarangani to 3-16 despite 18 points and seven rebounds from Leland Estacio. Andrei Duremdes recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds to go with six assists, while Carl Bryan Lacap and Alex Desoyo scored 12 and 11 points, respectively.

MPBL action continues Wednesday at the Malolos Convention Center, with Negros facing Pasay at 4 p.m., Meycauayan taking on Pasig at 6 p.m., and Bulacan meeting Quezon Province at 8 p.m.