Nueva Ecija drubbed Bulacan, 105-66, on Friday to share the lead in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Sixth Season elimination round at the San Andres Sports Complex in Manila.

Showing the fiery form that made them the 2022 MPBL champions, the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards kept pounding till the end to tally their sixth straight victory in as many starts that pushed them in the company of the San Juan Knights and the Quezon Huskers.

Manila SV Batang Sampaloc shared the limelight with a 90-76 beating of Valenzuela in the nightcap, raising the Stars’ slate to 5-3 while pulling down the Classics to 5-4.

Back-to-back triples by Manila’s Pao Javelona and Carl Bryan Cruz sandwiched a jumper by Valenzuela’s Ladis Lepalam and shoved the Stars to a 72-54 spread midway through the fourth quarter.

Chris de Chavez and Jameson Hiro combined to bring the Classics to within 68-76, only for Manila to retaliate behind Filipino-American DJ Mitchell’s two triples and settle the outcome, 84-73, with only two minutes left.

Cruz wound up with 15 points and 10 rebounds to clinch best player honors over teammate Shawn Umali, who had 19 points and seven rebounds.

Pao Javelona and Enzo Navarro also delivered for Manila, which opted not to field veteran recruit Greg Slaughter, with nine points and seven assists each.

Valenzuela got 12 points, all in the fourth quarter, from De Chavez and 10 points plus five rebounds from Dennis Santos.

JB Bahio led Nueva Ecija with 17 points and six rebounds, followed by Emman Calo with 14 points, and Ryan Maguilano and Ryan Paule Costelo with 11 each.

Bulacan, which sank to 1-8, got 11 points each from Andrei Simon Dada and Kristan Hernandez and 10 from Nino Ibanez.

The Rice Vanguards of Coach Don Dulay ruled the boards, 53-20, which they translated to 54 points against only 24 for the Kuyas.

Earlier, the Sarangani Marlins leaned on Ryan Isaac Sual’s hot hands and King Zean Destacamento’s triple-double to subdue Imus Agimat VA Drones, 106-101, and improve to 2-6.

Sual tallied 25 points, three rebounds and three steals to complement the 15-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist, four-block output of the 6-foot-5 Destacamento.