The Batangas City Tanduay Athletics hit full throttle in the homestretch to beat the Rizal XentroMall Golden Coolers, 76-66, on Friday, July 24, and solidify its hold of the top spot in the South division of the SportsPlus MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 2026 Season at the Batangas City Coliseum.
Batangas stretched its hot streak to 13 and improved its record to 15-2, better than Quezon Province (13-2) and Biñan (15-3), which trounced Ilagan Isabela, 90-69, in the opener of another triple-bill.
Caloocan dumped Basilan, 103-71, in the second game to raise its card to 17-2 and tighten its grip on third place in the North division, behind Abra Solid North (16-1) and San Juan (15-1) in the race for playoff slots.
Ahead by five points, the Athletics sped away after Ino Comboy sparked a 12-2 salvo that padded their lead to 75-60 with 3 minutes and 27 seconds left.
Comboy, a former Far Eastern University Tamaraw, posted 25 points, highlighted by six triples, 10 rebounds and 4 assists to capture the SportsPlus best player honors.
“I couldn’t have done this without the trust of my teammates and my coaches,” said Comboy, of his season-high output.
Jhan Nermal supported with 18 points and 7 rebounds, followed by Abdul Sawat with 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, and Rhinwill Yambing, with 7 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.
Rizal fell to 11-7 as only Jolo Mendoza found his range with 14 points, spiked by four triples. AJ Coronel settled for 9 points and 5 rebounds, while Billy Robles chipped in 8 points and 10 rebounds.
With 13 Batang Kankaloo scoring and dominating the boards, Caloocan decided the outcome halfway through the fourth quarter when they stormed ahead, 90-68.
Jammer Jamito paced Caloocan with 15 points and 6 rebounds, followed by Kymani Ladi, with 13 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists, Kean Baclaan, with 11 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds, Jeff Manday with 11 points and 2 rebounds, and Rommel Calahat with 12 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.
Basilan tumbled to 9-11, negating John Wilson’s 24 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, Mark Montuano’s 1l points and 2 rebounds, and Gab Cometa’s 10 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds.
Biñan trounces Ilagan Isabela
Powered by Nic Cabanero, Carlo Lastimosa and Renzo Subido, Biñan poured in 54 points in the third and fourth quarters and limited Ilagan Isabela to 25 to tally its 12th straight win and improve to 15-3.
Cabanero, former star of the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, posted 22 points, 3 assists and 3 steals to earn the best player honors over Subido, with 15 points, highlighted by two triples, and Lastimosa with 13 points.
Known mainly as a slasher and inside operator, Cabanero drilled in four of five triple attempts, which he attributed to constant practice.
“They want me to develop my shooting and not rely solely on my drives,” said Cabanero.
Michael Mabulac also shone with 12 points and 8 rebounds, helping Biñan dominate the boards, 43-28, and score more in the paint, 54-26.
Biñan led at 36-35, but Ilagan Isabela bunched nine points, five by MJ Ayaay, to take control at the break, 44-36.
The Cowboys, who dropped to 12-7, drew 14 points and 2 rebounds from Allen Mina, 12 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds from Arth Dela Cruz, and 11 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists from Robby Celiz.
The tournament returns to the Orion Sports Complex on Saturday, featuring games between Pasig and Cebu at 3 p.m., Imus and Marikina at 5 p.m., and Negros and host Bataan at 7 p.m.
