Knights, Patriots show playoff form

Playoffs-bound San Juan and Parañaque trounced also-ran opponents to share the spotlight with Zamboanga in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Sixth Season on Thursday at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

The Knights routed the Bulacan Kuyas, 114-87, to duplicate the Patriots’ 111-82 drubbing of Bacolod in the opening game.

Showing the form that made them the 2019 MPBL champion, the Knights raised their record to 25-1 and kept the North Division and overall standings in the round-robin elimination phase of the two-division, 29-team tournament.

Parañaque improved to 16-10, good for the fifth spot in the South Division being led by Quezon Province (20-5) and Zamboanga Master Sardines (20-6), which snapped Pasay’s win-run at home with an 87-78 victory in the nightcap.

Pedrito Galanza and Ady Santos led the Zamboanga scorers but it was Jaycee Marcelino who delivered the most with nine points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists to earn the Daily Fantasy best player honors.

Following their first loss after 10 games at their homecourt, the Voyagers dropped to 17-10 in the North Division despite Laurenz Victoria’s 21-point output.

Pasay moved closer at 51-58, only to be buried by a 13-point avalanche, sparked by back-to-back triples by Chito Jaime and Rey Publico, that shoved Zamboanga to safe ground, 71-57, with 57.4 seconds left in the third quarter.

Michael Calisaan led six Knights in twin digits with 16, followed by Marwin Taywan with 13, Dexter Maiquez with 12 plus 12 rebounds, Orlan Wamar with 12 plus eight assists, and AC Soberano and Egie Boy Mojica with 10 points each.

Bulacan tumbled to 2-25 despite John Cayno Carandang’s 36 points, five rebounds and three blocks.

The Patriots were powered by JP Sarao, who was chosen the Daily Fantasy best player, John John Uduba with 19 points each, and homegrown John Anthony Umali with 16 points.

Bacolod got mired in the cellar with a 1-25 card.