The Gensan Warriors repelled the Pasay Voyagers’ repeated assaults to prevail, 98-93, on Monday, May 25, and share the lead in the SportsPlus MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) 2026 Season at the Novadeci Convention Center in Novaliches, Quezon City.
Hesed Gabo shone as the Warriors pulled off their ninth straight win and caught up with the Caloocan Batang Kankaloo in the chase for playoff spots in the round-robin elimination phase of the two-division, 28-team tournament.
Showing his sharpest form thus far, Gabo posted 26 points, spiked by four triples and 12 of 12 shooting from the charity line, 11 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 assists to earn the SportsPlus best player award over Adi Santos, with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists.
Gabo also sealed the coast-to-coast victory by sinking two free throws that pegged the final count with 6.9 seconds left.
Other Warriors who delivered were Anton Eusebio with 9 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, Marwin Dionisio with 9 points and 3 rebounds, and Eloie Tan with 6 points in the fourth quarter.
Pasay fell to 6-3 despite Christian Fajarito’s 22 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists, Cyril Gonzales’ 17 points and 5 rebounds, Steve Nash Enqriquez’s 13 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals, Edmund Dela Cruz’s 11 points and 8 rebounds, and Brian Hilario’s 10 points.
Cebu routs Manila
The Cebu Greats routed Manila Batang Quiapo, 128-93, in the opener and climbed to 7-3.
Cebu allowed Manila to score the first basket before bunching 10 points, capped by back-to-back triples from Mark Meneses and Paul Desiderio, and gaining control the rest of the way for its fifth straight win.
The 6-foot-4, high-flying Meneses tallied 20 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists, but yielded best player honors to Dhon Reverente, who registered 14 points, 17 rebounds and 4 assists.
Reverente teamed up with Meneses and Kint Ariar to rule the boards, 66-35, and give Cebu more points in the paint, 64-52, and second chances, 30-8.
Ariar, a former Letran Knight, contributed 12 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists, followed by Ron Dennison with 14 points, Ice Hontiveros with 10 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds, and Jonathan Ralf Gesalem with 10 points.
Manila tumbled to 1-8, negating John Ashley Faa’s 23 points, 7 steals and 7 rebounds, Alfred Sedillo’s 21 points and 6 assists, and Mark Doligon’s 13 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.
The Quezon City Black Bulls recovered in time to subdue the Bulacan Kuyas, 92-83, in the nightcap and improve to 6-3.
Bulacan seized control, 72-71, following an 8-point bundle, but Quezon City countered with a decisive 16-2 run, sparked by Pat Buena and Ryan Costelo, to pull the Kuyas down to 3-5.
Costelo was chosen the best player back-to-back with 26 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, followed by Kobe Monje with 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks, Buena, with 12 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds, and Brian Rosalin with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
The Kuyas drew 28 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals from Airohn Acop, 12 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks from Mon Dizon, 13 points and 3 steals from Benedict Benedictos, 11 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists from Kenneth Castillo, and 11 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists from Andrei Acop.
The MPBL returns to the One Arena Cainta on Tuesday, featuring games between Rizal and Marikina at 4 p.m., Batangas and Bacolod at 6 p.m., and Bataan and Meycauayan Marilao at 8 p.m.n
