Weavers stay solid, bag 26th straight win

Abra Solid North extended its winning streak to a record 26 while Caloocan clinched the last outright playoff berth at the close of the Manny Pacquiao Presents Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League 2025 Season round-robin elimination phase at the Robert Estrella Sr. Memorial Gymnasium in Rosales, Pangasinan on Tuesday.

The Weavers battered undermanned Mindoro, 104-82, in the opener to surpass the 25 straight victories it shared with Nueva Ecija and rise to 28-1, also an MPBL all-time best, in the North Division of the 30-team tournament.

Caloocan banked on Jeff Manday to nip Pangasinan, 77-74, in the second game and improve to 21-8, good for the sixth spot in the North and a best-of-three playoff tussle with No. 3 San Juan.

Pangasinan skidded to 20-9 and the seventh spot, relegating the Heatwaves to a play-in encounter with No. 8 Ilagan Isabela at the same venue on Thursday.

Manday scored six of Caloocan’s last eight points as the Batang Kankaloo overturned a 69-71 deficit following a triple by Pangasinan’s JP Maguliano.

The Batang Kankaloo got 12 points plus three rebounds from Rommel Calahat, 11 points, six rebounds and three assists from Cris Bitoon, and 10 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals from Manday.

The Pangasinan Heatwaves drew 11 points from Allyn Bulanadi, whose buzzer-beating triple attempt went short, and 10 points plus eight rebounds from Maguliano.

Encho Serrano, John Uduba and Dave Ildefonso delivered the most as the Weavers gifted their head coach, Yong Garcia, with another easy victory.