MPBL: Pampanga stays unbeaten, San Juan brandishes firepower

MANILA, Philippines – Pampanga remained unbeaten while San Juan flaunted newfound power on Monday in the OKBet-MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) Fifth Season at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

Banking on the formidable duo of Justine Baltazar and Enzo Serrano, the Pampanga Giant Lanterns trounced the Pasay Voyagers, 91-76, to extend their winning run to 15 in the single round-robin elimination phase of the 29-team tournament.

The 6-foot-8 Baltazar delivered 20 points, 21 rebounds and eight assists, while Serrano came through with 33 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Giant Lanterns, the only unscathed team left.

Archie Concepcion also shone for Pampanga, which pulled down Pasay to 11-5, with 16 points 4 assists and 3 rebounds.

Not to be outdone, the San Juan Knights paraded prized recruits Adrian Nocum, Kenneth Neil Villapando and Rhimwil Yambing in a 91-76 dumping of the Batangas City Embassy Chill Athletics in the nightcap of a triple bill.

Nocum, a stalwart of the Mapua Cardinals, posted 19 points, spiked by four triples, nine rebounds, two steals and two assists, to earn his second straight best player honors over teammate Orlan Wamar, who tallied 13 points and eight assists for San Juan, which notched its fifth straight victory and climbed to 12-3.
San Juan thus overtook Batangas, which tumbled to 11-4 after back-to-back losses.

Villapando chalked 10 points plus seven rebounds and the high-leaping Yambing made 10 points plus four rebounds for San Juan, which surged to a 91-67 spread before allowing Batangas to lessen the gap somewhat with a nine-point closing salvo.

Batangas got 19 points from Levi Hernandez, 17 points from Juneric Baloria, and 11 points, eight rebounds, six steals and five assists from Jeckster Apinan.

Earlier, the Manila Stars subdued Valenzuela XUR Homes Realty Inc., 93-83, behind the 23-point, 12-rebound performance of Kyle Neypes.

Allan Mangahas provided support with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists and so did his brother James, who scored 13, as Manila improved to 3-14. Macky Acosta and Julius Pasculado also delivered for the Stars with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Valenzuela fell to 3-13 despite the 19-point, 9-rebound effort of AJ Benson and the 16-point, nine-assist output of Darell Manliguez.

The MPBL goes to the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig on Tuesday with Bicol battling Oriental Mindoro at 4 p.m., GenSan tackling Paranaque at 6 p.m., and Marikina testing Pasig at 8 p.m.