Lane, Batangas dominate Manila

Batangas City battered Manila, 103-59, in the nightcap to share the second spot in the North Division of Manny Pacquiao presents 1xBet-Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) 2025 Season at the Batangas City Coliseum on Thursday.

Batangas raised its record to 16-8, catching up with Zamboanga Sikat, which yielded to Gensan, 70-71, in the second game of the round-robin elimination phase of the 30-team, two-division tournament.

Powered by 6-foot-10 Filipino-American CJ Lane, Jeckster Apinan and John Ambulodto, Batangas pounded the boards, 65-29, to tally its fourth straight victory and stay close to division pacesetter Quezon Province (18-4) in the jostling for better playoff placings.

Lane, fielded for 19:11, posted 15 points, six rebounds, two assists and one block to clinch the Best Player honors over Apinan, who notched 16 points, nine rebounds and two assists; and Ambulodto, with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Levi Hernandez and Philip Paniamogan contributed 10 points each as 14 of 15 players used by Batangas scored.

Manila tumbled to 2-21 as Alfred Sedillo, Stephen Torralba and Redgimir Eusebio could only tally eight points each.

Meanwhile, Larry Rodriguez drilled in a three-pointer on top of the key with 3.6 seconds left to lift the Gensan Warriors past the Zamboanguenos and a 15-9 card, within sight of fourth-ranked Rizal Xentromall (14-8) in the South Division.

Mark Cruz paced Gensan with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists, followed by Eloie Tan with 11 points, Val Acuna with nine points, Rodriguez with six points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals, and Kyle Tolentino with five points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.