The Rizal XentroMall Golden Coolers warmed up with each quarter and dumped Manila Batang Quiapo, 115-86, on Tuesday, July 21, to boost their playoff bid in the SportsPlus MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 2026 Season at the Orion Sports Complex in Bataan.
With 13 players, headed by Joel Lee Yu, scoring, the Golden Coolers moved beyond reach, 105-76, before cruising to their 11th win against six losses in the round-robin elimination phase of the two-division, 27-team tournament.
The shifty Yu, a former Far Eastern University Tamaraws star, posted 18 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists to earn the SportsPlus best player honors over JP Sarao, who had 17 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists.
Yu also drilled in a triple with 6 minutes and 35 seconds left to push Rizal ahead, 99-73, and join the MPBL 1,000-point club in his seventh season.
MPBL Commissioner Emmer Oreta awarded Yu with the ball he used to score the important points.
Other Golden Coolers who turned hot were Alwyn Alday with 15 points and 4 rebounds, Laurenz Victoria with 11 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals, and Jake Gaspay and Lervin Flores with 9 points and 9 rebounds.
Marco Balagtas matched Sarao’s 10 rebounds as Rizal dominated the paint and poured in 76 points against 30 for Manila, which fell to 2-16.
Manila fell to 2-16 despite John Ashley Faa’s 21 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, and Joe Gomez De Liano’s 15 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
Bataan trounces Paranaque
The Bataan Risers overwhelmed the Paranaque Patriots, 139-88, in the nightcap to raise their card to 7-11.
All but one of the Risers fielded scored, as Bataan bombarded Paranaque with 20 triples, seven by Alfred Flores and five by Chito Jaime and remained in playoff contention in the North division.
Flores exploded for 26 points, 23 in the fourth quarter, while Jaime contributed 21 points, 16 in the second quarter, 11 rebounds and 2 assists to clinch the best player honors.
“Every game is important for us,” said Jaime, “We try to correct our mistakes during practice and apply these in the game.”
Joshua Gallano also shone for Bataan with 17 points and 7 rebounds, Yves Sazon with 17 points and 2 assists, Joey Barcuma, with 16 points, 12 in the fourth quarter, 9 assists and 3 rebounds, and Jake Gaspay and Lervin Flores, both with 9 points and 9 rebounds.
Also-ran Paranaque, which knocked in 18 triples, tumbled to 2-19 despite Jomar Santos’ 23 points, Marlon Monte’s 22, Ryusei Koga’s 18, and Dan Sara 11.
Basilan thwarts Sarangani
Basilan Steel groped for its fiery form and settled for a 93-86 victory over Sarangani 10ACT in the second game.
Mark Montuano and Jan Jamon found their mark after the break as Basilan pulled away, 80-63, en route to its ninth win in 19 starts.
Gab Cometa, however, was chosen the best player with a triple-double of 10 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists on top of 2 steals in a 26-minute, 2-second stint.
The 6-foot-2 Montuano, acquired from the Mindoro Tamaraws, poured in 10 points in the fourth quarter to finish with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists, followed by Jamon with 16 points and 2 rebounds, and Ralph Robin with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.
The Steel employed a trapping defense opening the third quarter and bundled 8 points, 4 each by Robin and Cometa, to secure permanent control, 48-41.
Sarangani, which skidded to 3-16, drew 18 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals from Leland Estacio, 12 points, 10 in the fourth quarter, 12 rebounds and 6 assists from Andrei Duremdes, 12 points from Carl Bryan Lacap, and 11 points from Alex Desoyo.
The tournament visits the Malolos Convention Center on Wednesday, with games pitting Negros against Pasay at 4 p.m., Meycauayan against Pasig at 6 p.m., and Bulacan against Quezon Province at 8 p.m.
