Biñan Tatak Gel leaned on the hot shooting of Nic Cabanero in the fourth quarter to outlast the Meycauayan Marilao Gems, 70-64, in Saturday’s MPBL action at the packed Pola Gymnasium in Oriental Mindoro.
The 6-foot-2 former University of Santo Tomas standout erupted for 11 points in the final period, including back-to-back triples that helped Biñan pull away and extend its winning run to eight games, improving to 11-3.
Cabanero finished with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in 24 minutes and 56 seconds, earning Best Player honors over Carlo Lastimosa, who also finished with 18 points and 3 rebounds.
Pamboy Raymundo added 11 points and 5 rebounds, while Warren Bonifacio and Kenny Roger Rocacurva chipped in 6 points each.
A third-quarter brownout briefly halted play, but Biñan regained momentum upon resumption, scoring six quick points—four from Raymundo—to take a 40-38 lead.
Meycauayan briefly regained control behind triples from Joshua Guiab, moving ahead 41-40 and 45-44, but Cabanero answered with five points in a decisive 6-0 run to restore Biñan’s lead for good.
Agem Miranda led the Gems with 15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals as they fell to 8-5 in the North Division.
(C) MPBL
Meanwhile, the Gensan Warriors held off Zamboanga SiKat’s late rally to escape with a 75-70 victory and strengthen their hold on second place in the South Division.
Zamboanga cut a 16-point deficit down to 65-70, but Gensan steadied the ship with key free throws in the final minute to improve to 13-2, staying behind unbeaten defending division champion Quezon Province (9-0) in the round-robin eliminations.
Anton Eusebio caught fire with back-to-back triples that stretched Gensan’s lead to 54-37 late in the third quarter, a cushion Zamboanga could not overcome.
The 6-foot-5 former College of St. Benilde standout finished with 22 points, highlighted by six triples, along with 3 rebounds and 2 assists. He was named Best Player of the Game.
Hesed Gabo added 17 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists, while Mark Cruz contributed 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals.
Zamboanga dropped to 4-9 despite 20 points from Brandon Wilson, 11 points and 9 rebounds from Joseph Gabayni, and 10 points each from Paeng Are, Levi Hernandez, and Reggz Gabat, who drilled a buzzer-beating triple to tie the game at 32-all at halftime.
In the nightcap, the Mindoro Tamaraws leaned on hometown hero JC Recto to edge the Valenzuela Darkhorse, 93-91.
The 6-foot-4 forward from Pinamalayan delivered in the clutch, scoring six points in the closing stretch, including two free throws that gave Mindoro a 92-90 lead with 4.3 seconds left.
Valenzuela answered quickly as Angelo Obuyes knocked down a triple with 2.9 seconds remaining, but the Darkhorse was forced to foul Brian Heruela, who split his free throws to seal the win.
The victory lifted Mindoro to 6-6, while Valenzuela dropped to 7-7.
Mindoro team owner and Pola Mayor Jennifer “Ina Alegre” Cruz led the ceremonial toss, with MPBL Commissioner Emmer Oreta and Operations Head Zaldy Realubit among the crowd that also included fans from Calapan City and Occidental Mindoro.
The league shifts to the Ynares Center in Pasig on Monday, featuring Imus vs Basilan at 4 p.m., Pasay vs Bacolod at 6 p.m., and Quezon Province vs Abra at 8 p.m.
