Cebu survived a chaotic finish to edge Batangas, 84-83, on Wednesday in the MPBL at the Pasay Astrodome.
Paul Desiderio’s desperation heave from long range at the buzzer was ruled good after officials called a goaltending violation on Batangas’ Rhinwill Yambing, completing Cebu’s comeback win over the Batangas City Tanduay Athletics.
With only 3.7 seconds left, Ced Ablaza split his free throws to give Batangas an 83-82 lead. His missed second attempt proved costly as Cebu’s Simon Camacho secured the rebound and quickly found Desiderio, who raced up the floor and launched a shot just before time expired.
Yambing, known for his leaping ability, attempted to contest the attempt but made contact with the ball while it was still in its downward flight, resulting in a goaltending call that swung the outcome in Cebu’s favor.
The win pushed Cebu to a 2-1 record, tying Batangas in the standings.
Desiderio led Cebu with 21 points and three rebounds, earning best player honors over Jun Manzo, who had 18 points, four assists, three steals, and two rebounds, and Mark Meneses, who finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks.
For Batangas, Jhan Nermal tallied 18 points, three steals, and two rebounds, while Ino Comboy added 15 points, six assists, two steals, and two rebounds. Yambing finished with 12 points and four rebounds.
In the opening game, Quezon City leaned on MJ Joson and Kobe Monje to rally past Meycauayan Marilao, 78-69.
Joson, a former Manila Central University standout, and Monje, a former track and field jumper turned basketball player from Letran, combined for 19 fourth-quarter points to outscore Meycauayan’s total output of 14 in the final period and fuel a comeback from a 24-37 deficit.
The 23-year-old Joson finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds, four steals, and three assists to take best player honors over Monje, who added 17 points, five rebounds, and two assists, as Quezon City secured its first win in three games.
Brian Rosalin contributed 12 points and three assists, while Kenz Rai Diokno added seven points, two rebounds, and two assists.
Meycauayan trimmed the gap to 69-72 after a triple by Agem Miranda, but Monje answered with a reverse layup and a three-point play, before Joson sealed the win with a dagger three-pointer.
The Black Bulls dominated the boards, 51-38, with Carmel Espinosa grabbing 12 rebounds, and converted that advantage into a 40-14 edge in points in the paint.
Meycauayan was led by Robi Nayve with 19 points and seven rebounds, Miggy Corteza with 13 points and four rebounds, and Shawn Argente with 11 points and three rebounds.
The tournament shifts to the Kamalig Sports Complex in Orion, Bataan, on Thursday, featuring Gensan against Marikina at 4 p.m., Manila versus Bacolod at 6 p.m., and Bulacan facing Bataan at 8 p.m.
