Heroes Pull Away in Final Minutes to Defeat Hacienderos

Biñan seized control early and held on to defeat Negros, 72-64, in Friday’s nightcap, evening their record at 2-2 in the 2026 Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Season at the Paco Arena in Manila.

The Biñan Tatak Gel team dominated for most of the game, building a comfortable 58-41 lead before withstanding a late rally from the Hacienderos. The win snapped a two-game losing streak and leveled their standing in the round-robin phase of the 28-team, two-division tournament.

Negros managed to trim the deficit to 60-65, but key plays from Biñan sealed the game. Jopet Soriano’s tip-in and Carlo Lastimosa’s jumper pushed the lead back to 69-60 with 3:48 left, ensuring the victory.

Lastimosa led Biñan with 16 points, four rebounds, and three assists, earning Player of the Game honors.

“It’s a must-win game,” Lastimosa said. “We really had to prepare and adjust quickly,” emphasizing the increased competition this season.

Kenny Roger Rocacurva contributed 10 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Pamboy Raymundo also added 10 points and three assists. Marc Pingris rounded out the effort with six points, 10 rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Negros, now at 1-3, faced their second consecutive loss despite strong performances from Jan Formento (20 points, two assists), Carl Joshua Alattica (16 points, nine rebounds, six assists), and Germy Mahinay (11 points, 10 rebounds, three assists).

In the earlier game, Zamboanga SiKat bounced back from a two-game losing streak to overpower Iloilo, 92-74.

Reggz Gabat and John Arthur Calisay led Zamboanga with 17 points each, while John Felicilda filled the stat sheet with 16 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds. Paeng Are added 10 points, two rebounds, and two assists, and Inand Val Fornilos contributed six points, 17 rebounds, and five assists.

Iloilo fell to 0-3, despite a massive 33-point, eight-rebound performance from Levi Hernandez, 17 points and six rebounds from Jorey Napoles, and 11 points and four rebounds from Paul Sanga.

The MPBL will move to the City of San Jose Del Monte Sports Complex on Monday, with Basilan facing Cebu at 4 p.m., Abra taking on Batangas at 6 p.m., and Meycauayan Marilao battling Caloocan at 8 p.m.