Reinforced Weavers weave magic, rip QC

Abra flaunted additional firepower and swamped Quezon City, 99-77, to gain the solo second in the Manny Pacquiao presents 1xBet-Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) 2025 Season at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City on Monday.

Already a powerhouse squad, the Weavers added 6-foot-10 Geo Chiu, 6-foot-5 Simon Camacho and six-footer high-flyer Mike Ayonayon to their roster and stormed into their 15th win against one loss in the round-robin elimination phase of the 30-team tournament.

Abra trails Nueva Ecija (16-0) and tows San Juan (14-1), Zamboanga (14-3) and Quezon Province (12-3) in the race for playoff berths.

Marwin Taywan finished with 17 points, 11 assists and four steals; Raven Gonzales delivered 17 points, 19 rebounds, five assists and three blocks; and Dave Ildefonso logged 16 points, 11 rebounds and four assists to emerge as top performer for the Weavers, who also drew impressive numbers the new recruits in Chiu, Ayonayon and Camacho.

A former Gilas Pilipinas member, Chiu posted 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks while Ayonayon had nine points, eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks; and Camacho notched three points and three rebounds.

Dominating the boards, 56-34, the Weavers pulled down the Taipans to 4-12 as only Dave Bernabe and Nino Ybanez found their mark with 11 points each.

Meanwhile, the Gensan Warriors thwarted the Pasay Voyagers, 79-73, in the nightcap to climb to 11-6 in the chase for playoff spots.

With Kyle Tolentino notching 20 points, laced by four three-pointers, and five rebounds, the Warriors led as far as 99-74 en route to their fifth straight win and an 11-6 slate.