Zamboanga SiKat bested Mindoro, 68-62, on Saturday, Oct. 4, to clinch a playoff slot in the South Division of the Manny Pacquiao Presents MPBL 2025 Season at the Pola Gymnasium in Oriental Mindoro.
Powered by JP Cauilan and Abdul Sawat, Zamboanga pulled ahead, 59-50, and thwarted Mindoro’s final assault to win the play-in encounter and advance to the quarterfinal round of the 30-team, two-division tournament.
Next up for Zamboanga in the best-of-three playoffs is No. 2 South qualifier Batangas City Tanduay Rum.
Sawat posted 17 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals for Zamboanga, which avenged its 81-79 defeat to Mindoro in the round-robin elimination phase and snap a three-game skid ending the regular season.
Cauilan wound up with 14 points, spiked by 4 triples, 7 rebounds and 2 steals for Zamboanga, which ruled the boards 48-34, and scored more in the paint, 32-18.
Alvin John Capobres and John Arthur Calisay provided support with 9 and 8 points, respectively.
The Tamaraws drew 16 points and 10 rebounds from Bam Gamalinda, 15 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists from Jeco Bancale, 10 points from Ken Bono, and 9 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals from Axel Inigo.
Mindoro gunners Ino Comboy and Joseph Sedurifa, however, were held to 2 points each by the stifling Zamboanga defense.
The loss, which greatly disappointed Mindoro Tamaraws team owner and Pola Mayor Jennifer “Ina Alegre” Cruz, sent the Tamaraws in a do-or-die match with the Cebu Greats, conqueror of the Davao Occidental Tigers, 65-57, in the first game, at 6 p.m. on Monday at the same venue.
Ruling the boards, the Greats led the play-in game throughout and by as far as 62-49 to avenge their 59-64 loss to the Tigers in the round-robin elimination phase of the 30-team, two-division tournament.
Paul Desiderio posted 15 points, 11 in the fourth quarter, 6 assists and 5 rebounds, while Jun Manzo tallied 15 points plus 3 assists for Cebu.
Other Greats who delivered were Mark Meneses with 6 points, 22 rebounds and 2 assists, Bryle Ivan Meca with 8 points plus 6 rebounds, and JR Quinahan with 7 points plus 9 rebounds.
Davao got 26 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals from Jeff Comia, but no other Tiger was able to score in double figures.
With Meneses and Quinahan asserting their power, the Greats took a 66-38 edge in rebounds, which they translated into more points in the paint, 32-20.
