Quezon leaned on the clutch heroics of LJ Gonzales to stun San Juan, 84-83, on Saturday night, while Abra Solid North seized the solo lead in the Manny Pacquiao Presents 1xBet-MPBL 2025 Season at the Lucena City Convention Center.
The Weavers overpowered the Ilagan Isabela Cowboys, 76-59, in the second game to tally their 22nd win against just one loss, moving ahead of the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards (21-1) and the San Juan Knights (21-2) in the round-robin elimination phase of the 30-team league.
Gonzales sparked Quezon’s charge with the team’s first nine points of the fourth quarter, then capped his night by calmly sinking two pressure-packed free throws with 4.2 seconds left.
San Juan still had a chance to steal the game, but Michael Calisaan’s last-gasp drive was foiled by Vince Magbuhos, who swatted the shot just outside the shaded lane.
Gonzales finished with 18 points, six rebounds, three steals, and two assists to steer the Huskers to an 18-4 record, the best in the South Division. He was backed by Judel Fuentes, who chipped in 11 points, three steals, two rebounds, and two assists.
Magbuhos and Ximone Sandagon added nine points apiece, while Quezon missed the services of JP Sarao and Joseph Gabayni, both sidelined by injuries.
San Juan drew 19 points, nine rebounds, and two assists from Dexter Maiquez, while Orlan Wamar contributed 17 points, three assists, and two boards. Calisaan had 10 points, seven rebounds, and two steals in the losing cause.
Meanwhile, Dave Ildefonso delivered another all-around effort for Abra with 20 points, eight rebounds, three steals, and two assists to secure another best player award.
Mike Ayonayon provided 11 points and two rebounds, while John Uduba tallied five points and a game-high 16 rebounds, leading to Abra’s commanding 56-37 edge on the boards. That dominance translated to more points in the paint (30-20) and fastbreak conversions (20-8).
The Weavers even strung together a 13-point run to take a commanding 57-28 lead midway through the third quarter. The Cowboys tried to fight back but still dropped to 12-10.
In the opener, the Cebu Greats extended their late push with an 87-71 drubbing of the Bulacan Kuyas.
Led once again by former University of the Philippines standouts Paul Desiderio and Jun Manzo, Cebu collected its fourth straight victory to improve to 9-15 and stay in the playoff hunt.
Desiderio paced Cebu with 24 points, seven rebounds, and four assists to earn best player honors over Manzo, who tallied 16 points, three rebounds, and three assists.
Mark Meneses contributed an all-around performance of seven points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and four blocks, while Mac Tallo added six points, eight assists, and six rebounds.
Bulacan slid to 3-20 despite solid outings from John Rey Sumido (17 points, five assists), Marlon Monte (14 points, three assists), Airohn Acop (13 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals), and Samuel Peralta (10 points, eight assists).
Action resumes Monday at the Alonte Sports Arena with three games on tap: Parañaque vs. Valenzuela at 4 p.m., Pangasinan vs. Pasig at 6 p.m., and host Biñan vs. Caloocan at 8 p.m.
