San Juan withstood a late rally by Caloocan to secure a 68-60 victory in the marquee game of Wednesday’s 2026 MPBL season at the Caloocan Sports Complex.
Holding a 58-46 advantage, the Knights saw Caloocan threaten after an 8-0 run sparked by Kymani Ladi and Kean Baclaan.
Unfazed, San Juan responded behind Harold Alarcon, Orlan Wamar, and Gerry Abadiano, rebuilding the lead to 65-56 with 2:40 remaining en route to their ninth win in 10 games in the round-robin elimination phase of the 28-team tournament.
Caloocan absorbed its first defeat after opening the season with 11 straight victories but remained atop the North Division standings.
The Batang Kankaloo are followed by San Juan and defending champion Abra Solid North, which both hold 9-1 records in the race for playoff positioning.
Wamar once again led the way for the Knights, finishing with 15 points, eight assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
Alarcon added 11 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals, while Reyland Torres contributed 11 points, four rebounds, and two assists.
Dom Escobar and Baclaan helped trim the deficit to 65-60, but Caloocan failed to score the rest of the way as Abadiano and Torres sealed the win with a layup and a free throw.
San Juan star center Michael Phillips grabbed 15 rebounds to make up for his modest scoring output of two points, which came on a two-handed slam early in the second quarter.
Baclaan paced Caloocan with 16 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, while Ladi added 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
(C) MPBL
In the second game, the Valenzuela City Darkhorse stunned the Pasay Voyagers, 88-85, to even their record at 6-6.
Veteran Jay Collado starred for Valenzuela with 25 points and nine rebounds, while Shaq Alanes posted 19 points, eight assists, six rebounds, and three steals. Angelo Obuyes chipped in 16 points, three rebounds, and three assists.
Pasay trailed by as many as 16 points, 82-66, before mounting a spirited comeback behind Cyril Gonzales to cut the deficit to 86-85 with 9.5 seconds left.
Alanes calmly knocked down two free throws with 6.3 seconds remaining to secure the victory and hand Pasay its sixth loss in 13 games.
Gonzales led the Voyagers with 16 points, while Edmund Dela Cruz and Christian Fajarito scored 14 points each. Nico Quinal added 12, and King Gurtiza finished with 11.
In the opener, the Cebu Greats routed the winless Parañaque Patriots, 100-51, for their fourth straight victory and an improved 9-3 record.
Jonathan Ralf Gesalem buried eight three-pointers on 16 attempts to lead Cebu with 24 points and two assists. Simon Camacho added 16 points and eight rebounds, while Andrey Armenion contributed 10 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
The Greats remained tied with Biñan for fourth place in the South Division, trailing Quezon Province (8-0), General Santos City (12-1), and Batangas (9-2).
Al Francis Tamsi scored nine points, all on fourth-quarter triples, while Ichie Altamirano had eight. Mark Meneses, Ice Hontiveros, and Brylle Iva Meca chipped in seven points apiece.
Parañaque, which dropped to 0-13, was led by Marlon Monte with 15 points, Ryusei Koga with 12, and Jobert Medina with 10.
The MPBL resumes on Thursday at the Paco Arena in Manila, with Rizal facing Pasig at 4 p.m., Bataan taking on Bacolod at 6 p.m., and Quezon City battling Basilan at 8 p.m.
