The Abra Solid North Weavers stretched their hot run while the Ilagan Isabela Cowboys continued their roller-coaster ride on Saturday in Manny Pacquiao presents 1xBet-MPBL 2025 Season at The Capital Arena in Ilagan, Isabela.
Powered by Dave Ildefonso, Mike Ayonayon and Encho Serrano, Abra trounced Caloocan, 78-66, while Ilagan Isabela banked on new recruits Agem Miranda, Donald Gumaru and Terrence Tumalip to rout Valenzuela City, 78-55, in the round-robin elimination phase of the 30-team tournament.
The 6-foot-2 Miranda, reunited with Cowboys coach Louie Gonzalez, his former mentor at Jose Rizal University, posted 19 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in just 17 minutes and 25 seconds of play to clinch best player honors on his MPBL return.
Tumalip finished with 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals; homegrown Gumaru with 12 points, Gab Gomez with 9 points and 4 rebounds; and acquisition Dennis Santos with 7 points and 6 rebounds as the Cowboys joined the middle pack with an 8-8 slate.
Valenzuela absorbed its fourth straight defeat and dropped to 4-14 despite Jan Formento’s 17 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, and Arvie Bringas’ 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals.
Trailing, 27-30, Abra clustered 11 points, laced by triples by Ayonayon, Ildefonso and Marwin Taywan; to seize permanent control for its 14th straight win and solo second in the playoff race with a 16-1 slate.
Abra trails Nueva Ecija (16-0) and paces San Juan (15-1) in the chase for playoff berths.
Ildefonso, a former Ateneo star and Gilas Pilipinas pool member, wound up with 20 points, 16 in the first half, 7 rebounds and 2 assists to clinch best player honors over Taywan, who tallied 15 points, 5 assists and 3 steals, and Encho Serrano with 11 points, 6 assists and 3 steals.
Ayonayon ended up with 9 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, followed by 6-foot-10 Geo Chiu, with 8 points, all in the first half.
Caloocan, which fell to 12-6, got 14 points and 5 rebounds from Jeramer Cabanag, 10 points and 9 rebounds from Antonio Bonsubre, and 10 points plus 2 assists from Rommel Calahat, who got ejected for a disqualifying foul on Abra’s John Uduba with 7 minutes and 29 seconds left.
Other Batang Kankaloo contributors were Reil Cervantes and Joco Tayongtong with 8 points each.
