Caloocan pounded Valenzuela City without letup and cruised to a 97-58 victory late Tuesday night to seize the solo lead in the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 2026 Season at the Caloocan Sports Complex.
Exploiting their height and heft advantage, the Batang Kankaloo dominated the boards, 53-38, which translated to a 46-24 edge in points in the paint and a massive 27-6 advantage in second-chance points, powering them to their eighth straight win in the round-robin elimination phase of the two-division, 28-team tournament.
Caloocan also applied relentless defensive pressure, forcing 18 turnovers from the Darkhorse that led to a 26-8 edge in fastbreak points. The lead ballooned to as high as 90-48 with 5:33 remaining in the game.
Kymani Ladi led Caloocan with 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists, edging Jeff Manday, who tallied 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, for the best player honors.
Rommel Calahat added 11 points and 4 rebounds, Jammer Jamito chipped in 10 points and 6 rebounds, while Antonio Bonsubre posted 4 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks as the Batang Kankaloo moved ahead of the Gensan Warriors (7-0) and widened their cushion over the Quezon Huskers (5-0).
Valenzuela dropped to 4-4, with Jay Collado providing the lone resistance with 13 points and 6 rebounds.
In the opener, Cebu extended its strong run with a 96-77 win over Zamboanga SiKat, while Quezon City regained form with a 96-87 victory over Ilagan Isabela in the second game.
The Cebu Greats broke the game open with a 14-point burst, highlighted by Cebuano legend Dondon Hontiveros’ two triples and Jonathan Gesalem’s back-to-back threes, to pull away 38-27 en route to their fourth straight win and a 6-2 record.
Mark Meneses led Cebu with 19 points, highlighted by a one-handed slam, along with 11 rebounds and 2 steals. He was backed by Wowie Escosio with 15 points and 5 rebounds, Paul Desiderio with 13 points and 2 rebounds, and Simon Camacho with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 assists.
Brian Heruela was named best player after finishing with 4 points, 15 assists, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals for Cebu.
The 48-year-old Hontiveros finished with 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists, while his 23-year-old son Ice added 7 points and 2 rebounds.
Zamboanga absorbed its fourth straight loss and dropped to 1-6 despite Paeng Are’s 21-point, 9-rebound, 4-assist effort.
Spearheaded by Ryan Costelo, the Quezon City Black Bulls surged ahead 61-34 before coasting to their fifth win in eight games, the same record as the Ilagan Isabela Cowboys, who have now lost back-to-back outings.
Costelo finished with 17 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds, while Clark Derige added 15 points and 9 rebounds. Brian Rosalin contributed 14 points and 8 rebounds, and ML Joson had 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.
For Ilagan Isabela, JP Cauilan had 17 points and 4 rebounds, Arth Dela Cruz posted 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists, Joseph Gabayni added 13 points and 5 rebounds, while Jayboy Solis and Kyle Paranada chipped in 10 points each.
The tournament resumes Wednesday at the Ynares Center Montalban with Manila facing Pasay at 4 p.m., Gensan taking on Negros at 6 p.m., and host Rizal battling Basilan at 8 p.m.
