Red-hot Batangas crushes Pasay by 41

Batangas City banked on the hot hands of Levi Hernandez, Cedrick Ablaza and Kenneth Ighalo to dump Pasay, 123-82, and returned on track in the Manny Pacquiao presents 1xBet-Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) 2025 Season at The Capital Arena in Ilagan, Isabela late Saturday.

Hernandez notched a game-high 28 points, laced by three triples, and made 55 percent of his shots to go with five rebounds and two steals to clinch Best Player honors over Ablaza, who shot 71.4 percent from the field en route to 16 points, including two triples, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Ighalo contributed 12 points on four triples and six rebounds for the Batangas City Tanduay Rhum Masters, who leveled their record to 4-4 in the round-robin elimination phase of the 30-team tournament.

Pasay was ahead, 29-28, until Batangas bunched 13 points on Ablaza’s back-to-back triples and Hernandez’s seven straight, to gain control at 41-29 with 37.5 seconds left in the second quarter.

The Voyagers fell to 6-3 despite Warren Bonifacio’s 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists; Marc Daniel Sangco’s 16 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and two assists; and Cyrus Tabi’s 13 points, eight assists and four rebounds.

Laurenz Victoria had a chance to extend the game, but Laurenz Victoria missed his triple attempt before the final buzzer.

The GenSan Warriors fended off the Ilagan Isabela Cowboys’ repeated rallies to tally a wire-to-wire 90-83 victory in the nightcap of another triple-bill.

Powered by Kyle Tolentino and Rene Pacquiao, the Warriors surged ahead, 22-6, and proceeded to tie the Rhum Masters’ 4-4 mark.

Ilagan Isabela threatened at 71-74 on a drive by Arth Dela Cruz, but Nico Elorde converted two charities, Tolentino drilled in a triple and Elorde followed suit to give GenSan breathing room, 82-71, with 4:55 to go.

Mark Dyke, Mark Antony Marcos and JR Olegario pushed Isabela closer, 80-84, with 1 minute and 25 seconds left, but Tolentino and Elorde canned two charities each to pull down the Cowboys to 4-5.

Tolentino finished with 16 points, three rebounds and two assists; Elorde 14 points, eight assists and five rebounds; Val Acuna 14 points and three rebounds; and Pacquiao 12 points and seven rebounds.

The Cowboys got 18 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, four steals and two blocks from Dela Cruz; 20 points, four assists, two rebounds and two steals from Allen Mina; 15 points and three rebounds from Olegario; and 12 points plus seven rebounds from Marcos.