San Juan foiled Muntinlupa’s late rally to prevail, 81-73, on Monday, securing a Group B playoff spot in the 2026 MPBL Preseason Invitational at the Marikina Sports Center.
Muntinlupa had narrowed the gap with a seven-point surge to 73-76, but the Knights silenced the Cagers in the final 3 minutes and 59 seconds, earning their sixth straight win and assuring a top-three finish after the round-robin eliminations in the nine-team group.
Terrence Fortea hit a key triple, and Michael Calisaan followed with a basket in the closing stretch to extend San Juan’s lead.
Muntinlupa, now out of contention with a 2-4 record, could not recover.
Former University of the Philippines star Harold Alarcon was named the game’s best player, finishing with 12 points and 5 rebounds, edging out Calisaan, who posted a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Other Knights standouts included Reyland Torres with 11 points and 4 rebounds, and Patrick Sleat, who contributed 7 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals.
For Muntinlupa, MJ Dela Virgen led with 20 points and 4 assists, Miguel Ives Corteza added 15 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists, while Shawn Argente posted 12 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals.
In the day’s earlier games, Ilagan Isabela trounced Zamboanga SiKat, 78-63, while Bacolod subdued Sarangani 10ACT, 82-74.
The Ilagan Isabela Cowboys, led by JL Delos Santos, JP Cauilan, Arth Dela Cruz, and Jayboy Solis, built a commanding lead of 70-48 before coasting to their third win against four losses.
Delos Santos, thriving under former Jose Rizal University coach Louie Gonzalez, contributed 13 points and 2 rebounds; Dela Cruz posted 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists; Cauilan had 12 points and 5 rebounds; and Solis added 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Zamboanga fell to 1-3, with only brothers Paeng and Michael Are scoring in double figures with 16 and 10 points, respectively.
Bacolod earned its first win in four games behind Rev Diputado’s 20 points, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 rebounds. Johnnel Bauzon added 19 points and 9 rebounds, while Nino Ibanez contributed 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Sarangani slipped to 0-6 despite Lars Sunga’s 12 points and 10 rebounds, Carl Lacap’s 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists, Migs Pascual’s 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists, and Danny Marilao’s 10 points and 3 rebounds.
The Preseason returns to the Alonte Sports Arena on Tuesday, with Marikina facing the Junior MPBL D-League Selection at 3 p.m., Quezon Province against Caloocan at 5 p.m., and Batangas taking on host Binan at 7 p.m.
