The Davao Occidental Tigers pulled off a 75-73 squeaker over the Parañaque Patriots to regain traction in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Sixth Season at the jampacked Olivarez College Gym in Parañaque.
Davao, the Third Season champion, clustered nine points, seven by Art Dela Cruz, to pull ahead, 72-66, with 2:52 seconds to go, but Parañaque countered and threatened at 73-75 following a triple by Jielo Razon with 27 seconds left.
The Patriots even got the chance for a reversal after the Tigers turned the ball over, but JP Sarao missed a triple with 2.7 ticks remaining, enabling Davao to recover from a 76-79 beating it absorbed from Caloocan on 2 July.
Dela Cruz paced the Tigers to their 11th win in 16 starts with 18 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals, followed by Mark Tallo with 13 points, three rebounds plus two steals, and Keith Agovida with 13 points.
Parañaque, which skidded to 10-7, got 17 points plus three rebounds from Philip Manalang, 10 points plus three rebounds from JP Sarao, and nine points, 13 rebounds plus three assists from John Uduba. Razon chipped in nine points on three triples.
In earlier games, the Valenzuela Classics bested the Sarangani Marlins, 73-64, while the Negros Muscovados thwarted the Rizal Xentromall Golden Coolers, 103-94.
With veteran JR Quinahan at the helm, Valenzuela surged ahead, 79-61, and was never headed en route to its third straight win and a 10-8 record.
Quinahan wound up with 20 points and nine rebounds, followed by Carl Bryan Lacap with 12 points and three blocks and Reeve Ugsang with 11 points and four rebounds.
The Marlins, who tumbled to 4-10, drew 17 points and five assists from Ryan Isaac Sual, 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists from Marvin Hayes, and 10 points plus six rebounds from Coy Alves.
Powered by Jan Fomento and Jonjon Gabriel, Negros led throughout and by as far as 48-23 in posting its third straight win for a 7-10 card.
Fomento poured 28 points, 18 in the second quarter, while the 6-foot-6 Gabriel posted 23 points, 15 rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
Rizal fell to 9-8 despite the 37-point, five-rebound, five-assist explosion of Alwyn Alday, the 16-point, 15-rebound effort of John Apacible and the 16-point, four-rebound, six-assist output of Kraniel Villoria.
