Valenzuela City Darkhorse subdued Manila Batang Quiapo, 108-98, in coast-to-coast fashion on Tuesday to continue their recovery in the SportsPlus MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 2026 Season at the Paco Arena in Manila.
With six players scoring in double figures, Valenzuela led as far as 34-13 before cruising to their third straight win after two initial losses in the round-robin elimination phase of the two-division, 28-team tournament.
Shaquille Alanes, former star of the Lyceum Pirates, posted 29 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals to clinch the SportsPlus best player award and become the newest member of the MPBL 1,000-point club.
Veteran Jay Collado supported him with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists, followed by Lester Reyes with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks.
In other games, Ilagan Isabela repelled Zamboanga Sikat’s repeated rallies and won, 81-77, in the second game to climb to 4-1, while the Bulacan Kuyas beat the Sarangani 10ACT Marlins, 80-76.
Ilagan trails only Caloocan and Gensan, both 5-0, and Quezon Province (3-0) in the standings.
The Darkhorses dominated the shaded lane, 65-47, and outscored the Batang Quiapo, 15-2, early in the fourth quarter to pull away at 96-76 and pull Manila down to 1-4.
Manila got 27 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals from Joe Gomez De Liano, 17 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals rom John Ashley Faa, 14 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists from Redgimir Eusebio.
