Pampanga, San Juan clobber MPBL rivals

Powerhouse teams Pampanga and San Juan tightened their hold of the 1-2 spots while South Cotabato gained ground in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Sixth Season late Friday at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in San Fernando, Pampanga.

The Giant Lanterns trounced the Iloilo United Royals, 88-49, while the Knights kept in step by dumping the Imus Agimat VA Drones with the same 39-point margin, 100-61, in the round-robin elimination phase of the two-division, 29-team tournament.

Pampanga, the reigning champion, extended its winning streak to 22 after an initial loss, while San Juan, the 2019 champion, notched its 11th straight victory and climbed to 20-1.

The South Cotabato Warriors overpowered the Sarangani Marlins, 90-85, and improved to 15-8, catching up with the Davao Occidental Tigers.

Powered by reigning Most Valuable Player Justine Baltazar and MJ Garcia, Pampanga pulled Iloilo down to 8-14, further dampening the United Royals’ chances of advancing to the eight-team playoffs in the South Division.

Pampanga, San Juan, Nueva Ecija (18-2) and Manila (16-6) have long clinched playoff slots in the North Division.

South Cotabato, on the other hand, is assured of joining Quezon Province (17-3), Zamboanga (16-5) and Batangas (16-7) in the South playoffs.

Baltazar posted 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Garcia chalked 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. They were supported by Archie Concepcion with nine points, four assists, three steals and two blocks.

Iloilo drew 13 points from Clint Doliguez and 11 from Ry Aijer de la Rosa.

Like Pampanga, San Juan zoomed ahead by halftime, 60-24, and used all its 15 players to relegate Imus to 1-21.